The Burdens We Share
by Lilliana Greenleaf
Summary: Evelyn isn't an ordinary wizard. She wasn't ever supposed to be a wizard at all, but as fate would have it, she became one. Her knowledge of magical creatures will only carry her so far, especially when she's never experienced people outside of her clan, and certainly has no skill with love. She constantly asks herself, what could possibly happen next? (Draco x OC x Fred & George)
1. The Letter

_Dangerous._

That was the word that Evelyn had heard whispered to her for her entire life. She never minded, because she knew it was a true.

You see, Evelyn was what was known as a Hunter. Her clan had hunted magical creatures for uncountable generations. They didn't just hunt creatures, but often ran beside them, to an extent domesticated them, and worked in a mutual partnership with the higher species. They were regarded as almost legends among wizards, and myths in novels among muggles. They were nomadic and reclusive, only contacting the human world to sell surplus goods from their hunts, and to receive requests for certain creatures that were dangerous. They were a proud people, a very skilled and lethal people who refused to be involved with the dealings of wizards and muggles. That isn't to say they didn't know how to blend in with the human world, they just generally avoided doing so.

Hunters classed themselves by ability into different classes. Warriors were the biggest and toughest. When they were out to kill a strong creature harmful to others, the warriors were sent in. They used great-swords and shields to fight, and rarely jumped from the ground. Archers were just that, archers, but there was an art to it. They specialized in poisons, different types of arrows and bows, and they knew the best places to shoot a creature to bring it down quickly. Rogues weren't really fighters, they set traps and knew how to bring down a creature without killing it. They were used to relocate creatures who weren't dangerous, but made locals uneasy. The trainers were the ones who raised and helped magical creatures. The wives (just a name, they were both male and female) were the people more suited to work such as cooking and washing clothes. The smiths were the ones to create weapons and tools, while the craftsmen created their clothes and armor out of the creatures they hunted. Hunter smith and craftsmen pieces were prized among the human world. Healers were the ones that healed, of course, and there were the Diplomats, which communicated with the human world and with the other clans. The keepers were the heads of the clans. The trackers were the best at finding creatures. Then there were the assassins. They were rare, since it took the right physique and a great deal of agility, stamina, patience, cunning, energy, control, resourcefulness, and talent to become one, but they were the most lethal. They knew the weakness of every creature, and knew how to spot the weaknesses of individuals. They were the best at killing quickly and mercilessly. They were loners, often distant from the members of their clan, and secretive. They preferred the company of creatures to that of humans, and were a great source of information on them, and often could be found spending time with the trainers and their creatures. They were usually called in to deal with creatures where others had failed. They were extremely valuable, since finding someone who could handle the job was so rare. Evelyn was an assassin. She had learned from the only other assassin in their clan, a slender, wily man of about 30 named Zerif.

Once every five years, all of the clans met up in a secret place and shared secrets, told tales, and competed in the Hunter games, a set of games designed to see who was the strongest, most cunning, and most skilled clan, categorized by the classes. Sometimes the clans encountered each other outside of these meetings, but just like kingdoms, they generally stayed within their own territory. They were almost creatures themselves. Wizards who met them didn't dare to call them muggles, even though they had no magic. They were exceptionally dangerous, and could generally kill anything. They saw themselves as above the rest of the human race, though they certainly knew how to show humility, should some auror decide they were a problem.

Even among her clansmen, Evelyn was regarded as exceptionally dangerous. Not only had she excelled in her training as a child, and had a connection with creatures that many sought to possess for most of their lives, but she had something that most of her clansmen would rather avoid. She had magic.

The signs were always there. Having no one to train her, or even recognize her talent until it became apparent, it was always little things, but it was there nonetheless. She could start a fire without the use of any tools, she could draw water to her where there was none, she could shatter glass without touching it, when there was glass; things like that. Her parents had always told her to hide it, but when the clan Keeper found out, he told her to embrace it, so she practiced using it whenever she got the chance. People called her dangerous, so she always did it at night, when she was alone. She was one of the night-walkers. They were the Hunters who were more comfortable at night, hunted the night creatures, and guarded the day-breakers while they slept.

One night, Evelyn was sitting in a tree, sharpening a small throwing dagger used to pierce the eyes of larger beasts, when everything changed. It didn't seem to be a big moment then, but it would later be the single moment where her life turned in a whole new direction.

An owl landed on the branch above her head. She looked up, tilting her head. It had an envelope in its beak. It had her name, written in English, on it. The Hunters had their own language, but it was only used for writing between clans and for ceremonies, so she could read, write, and speak English. She took the letter from its beak. "Thank you." Hunters had respect for every creature, even humans (to an extent). She opened it slowly.

It was a Hogwarts acceptance letter.

She sat in a stunned silence for a few moments, then looked up at the owl. It clicked its beak and flew off. She hopped down from the tree and hurried across the camp on silent feet wrapped in troll hide boots to where her paternal uncle stood on guard. Her parents were both day-breakers, so her uncle, Einar, taught her most of her skills with swords. He was a good teacher, and a good man. He was a big man, nearly six and a half feet tall, and carried no shield in favour of a two-handed clamor, but he knew how to use a sword and shield. He looked down at her when she screeched to a halt, breathless, in front of him. "Little moth," that was his nickname for her, "what's got you all worked up?" She handed him the letter, unsure of how to explain. He read it over, his big black mustache turning down at the corners as he frowned in concern. He stroked his chest-length braided beard with one hand and held the letter in the other. "Well, little moth, this is quite the notice. I suppose we should have expected this." He handed her back the letter and crossed his arms, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked down at her. He looked almost proud.

Evelyn couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face. Einar laughed a bit and said, "we'll tell the Keeper in the morning. I'm sure he'll be pleased. Imagine how much you could do for the clan." Evelyn replied smoothly, "the Dracaena clan are already among the best." She gasped, jumping excitedly. "Maybe I can win the assassin games!" Einar chuckled softly and nodded, then added, "don't forget to tell your brother. You'll spend all day arguing with him. No sleep for you tomorrow." Evelyn giggled a bit and nodded. Her brother Cole was a day-breaker, three years older than her, and was a renowned trainer, even at his young age, and was one of the few Hunters who had passed their ceremony from apprenticeship to full status early. Over a year early, in fact. Evelyn had learned much about the care of magical creatures from him. "I think I'll be alright. Assassins can go for days without sleep." "Trained assassins," Einar corrected, earning a bit of a pout. "I'm am fully trained!" Evelyn protested. "My ceremony is in two days!" Each class had special ceremonies to signify the ending of their apprenticeship and the beginning of their true path. Einar ruffled Evelyn's hair and sent her back to her post.

The next morning, the first thing Evelyn did was rush to the Keeper's tent. "Keeper Sera! Keeper Sera!" The Keeper was an elderly, wise woman with a wily sense of humour. "Good morning, child, what brings you here so early? Or, for you, late?" Her voice was still strong in her old age. The Keeper had been a Healer before she became Keeper. She had yet to choose an apprentice. She was still young, as far as Keepers go, so no one was worried just yet.

"Guess what I got?" Evelyn was nearly bouncing out of her skin. The Keeper laughed and wittily replied "it must be something exciting, to get the young assassin all riled up." Evelyn nodded and handed her the letter. She read over it, her wrinkled face a mask of neutrality, then she broke into a warm smile. "This is wonderful news!" She handed Evelyn back the letter. "I'll send a bird to Hogwarts telling them of your attendance. You must pack at once, it seems this letter arrived late! And of course, tell your parents and your brother." Evelyn nodded and went to see her parents first. Her father, just like his older brother Einar, was a big warrior with a black beard, though his braids were a bit different. In their world, everything meant something. Her father's braids told a tale. He was a dragon slayer, a warrior who specialized in bringing down the massive beasts. He was delighted with the news.

Her mother was a healer, a sweet thing with a sharp tongue. She wore the dresses of the healers, while the rest of them wore tight clothing and pants, for mobility. She was worried, but after some comforting from her husband, she agreed. Her father told her that she would have to pay for supplies with her own money. Evelyn didn't mind. During her ceremony, she was to go on a hunt alone. She planned on bringing back enough to pay for all of her supplies. She planned on bringing down a Manticore. It was quite the goal for an apprentice during their ceremony, but both she and Zerif believed she could. Of course, it was considered an extremely dangerous creature by the Ministry of Magic, and it was still dangerous to a Hunter, but since they didn't use magic, the Hunters stood a much better chance against one, and a complete Manticore body, even if its throat was cut, fetched a high price on the market. She hadn't told anyone her goal except for Zerif.

Evelyn headed to the clearing where her brother was currently fussing over a baby augurey. It had been lost, rolled out of its nest as an egg, and Cole had found it. Being the protective, kind-hearted boy he was, he had resolved to care for it. He smiled as he helped it back into the bramble next he had made for it. Evelyn waited until the creature was content to approach. "Cole, guess what?" He looked up at her. Cole was handsome, even as a boy. He had wispy blonde hair that swayed with the gentlest breeze, like their mother, that he kept in a ponytail, and kind hazel eyes. Evelyn's onyx-coloured locks that she let flow free down her back and her sapphire blue eyes didn't look anything like her brother's, for she took after their father, but they had the same face, with the same sharp jaw, the same pretty lips, and the same nose. They were also both pale, since Cole insisted on wearing a ridiculous large plain beige sunhat he had bought from a muggle one time, and long sleeves and gloves, and Evelyn didn't spend a whole lot of time in the sun.

"What is it?" Evelyn handed him the letter and let him read it. He frowned, looking up at her with big pleading eyes. "You're not going to go." Evelyn nodded, "I am." He grabbed her arms gently and pleaded, "but why?" She rested her hands on his shoulders. "Cole, I want to be able to control it. You know what they say about me. I don't want to hurt anybody." Cole shook his head, "you can control it!" "But Cole, I want to use it!" Cole sighed, "Please?" Evelyn held her ground.

Cole hugged her. She had been expecting it, so she immediately wrapped her arms around her brother tightly. "Promise me you'll be safe, alright?" Evelyn nodded. "I will." She let go after a time. Cole smiled at her. She smiled back. It was the least she could do. Cole chuckled softly, "go get ready for your ceremony, Eve." Evelyn took the letter back and ran off, wishing him good luck with whatever creature he was going to deal with next.

She vaguely wondered if she was even going to survive the ceremony to go to Hogwarts.

* * *

I know this first chapter has little do to with the actual Harry Potter events, and the next probably wont either, but after that, I plan on getting really deep into the story. I hope you all will enjoy this! I'll go ahead and say that while this story does involve romance, it certainly isn't centered around it. I'm going to rate it T for now, but that might change later on. Feel free to give me suggestions and let me know what you think!


	2. The Hunt

The damn bird wouldn't stop crying out. It was the day before Evelyn's hunt, and it would not shut up while she was trying to sleep. She knew what it meant, of course, it meant that it would be raining while she was on her hunt. She sighed and rolled over in her sleeping roll. The walls of her tent fluttered in an afternoon breeze. "No sleep for me, I suppose." She sat up, rubbing her eyes and clutching her blankets to her chest. Hunters slept naked when with their clan, since they had no such thing as pajamas. When on the hunt, they slept in their armor. She glared in the direction of the squawking, huffing a bit.

She pulled on a pair of pants and a loose shirt, the clothes she used on hot days when she wanted to work with the craftsmen, and got up out of her sleeping roll with a resigned sigh. She smoothed her hair and stepped out of her tent. She stretched, groaning softly, and looked around, squinting in the daylight. By then, news of her acceptance into Hogwarts had spread, and she got a number of different looks. Most were congratulatory, while others were wary. Not everyone in the clan was willing to accept magic into their world.

Evelyn's cousin and Einar's son Simon made his way over. He was two years older than her, and was a solemn boy who was already giant. He was a warrior, like his father. His mother had been a rogue, but she had been slain by a sea serpent that wasn't as caught in her trap as she had thought. People died in the Hunter world all the time, it wasn't a big deal to them. Sure, it was a sad affair, but it wasn't something to be terribly upset about. It was more important to know that they hunted in the heavens, and to learn from their mistakes.

"I heard." He was a man of few words, even at thirteen. His hair was a soft light brown, silky to the touch, like his mother's had been, and extremely unruly with its untamable curls, and his eyes were forest green. He had an extremely hot temper, but he was caring at heart. He was like another brother to Evelyn, and was more protective of her than Cole was, if that was possible.

"I wanted to tell you myself." Simon shifted his gaze and changed the subject. "Why aren't you sleeping?" The augurey called out agin. Evelyn frowned, her lips in a tight line. "That's why." Simon gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her head. "Walk with me?" Evelyn nodded, her bare feet walking across the cool grass of the clearing where they were camped as she followed them. Most of the Hunters were out, the craftsmen and smiths were making a water run, and everyone else was busy with their chores, so the two went unquestioned as they went into the forest.

"So you're actually going?" Simon began a conversation once the camp was no longer in sight. Evelyn replied quietly, "yes, I am. You wont change my mind." "I wasn't going to try," he chuckled softly. "There's no talking you out of something you've set your mind to it." Evelyn smiled a bit.

Simon looked up at the tree canopy overhead. "So what are you going after on your hunt." Evelyn _tsk_ ed and waved her hand dismissively. "I can't tell you." Simon pouted and looked at her, "why not?" Evelyn grinned. "Because it's a secret." Simon ruffled her hair a bit. Then he seemed to remember something. "Hey, I've got a present for you!" He looked excited. Evelyn looked at him expectedly. "Close your eyes!" She laughed and covered her eyes with the palms of her hands so he could be sure that she wasn't looking through her fingers. She heard him rustle around, then he said "okay." She opened her eyes. He was holding a small golden coin. It was worn, but it was still pretty. "That looks ancient," Evelyn exclaimed. "Where did you get it?" He put it in her hand. He didn't answer her question, instead saying, "it's a good luck charm. It'll keep you safe." Evelyn grinned and hugged him, then tucked it in her pocket.

* * *

Evening finally arrived. Storm clouds gathered over the bloody sunset, but they didn't deter Evelyn. She went with Zerif to a secluded clearing alone, where a short ceremony was performed in silence. He painted her face, half of the marks of the assassin apprentice, and half of the true assassin. Evelyn sat very still. He put his hand on her shoulder, and they nodded to each other. She put on her armor and weapons, a water skin, and tucked a single slice of cheese in her pocket, wrapped in a large cloth. That was all she was allowed. "By sunrise, I will return with my prize." Evelyn turned to head off into the forest, and didn't look back.

Her prize was a Manticore. Normally, they weren't in this part of the world, being native to Greece, but this one had escaped captivity and now resided in a mountain cave a few leagues north. She knew about it from Zerif, who had suggested the ambitious prize in the first place. It was already wounded, with a dagger in its paw, which only made it more dangerous. Evelyn would have to do this quickly and carefully. It was quite the task for a girl of only 11, but Hunters mentally matured faster than other humans, mainly because of their demanding life style.

Evelyn travelled quickly. Soon, it began to rain, but the mountain was in sight. The rain was cold and blinding, especially when she moved past the tree-line and onto the bare rock. She lowered her head against the howling storm and kept climbing. She reached the lip of the cave.

Evelyn took a deep breath and stepped inside. It was dark, nearly too dark to see, especially with the storm. Then, a flash of lighting illuminated the cave. The Manticore was only a few meters away, and was poised to strike. Evelyn jumped out of the way just as its deadly tail struck where she had been heartbeats before. She drew only one dagger, darting at the beast. It brought up a mighty paw and tried to smack her away, but the young assassin apprentice was quick, and got away with just a small nick in her arm. She hissed, displeased with the breach of what was supposed to be a perfect kill. She darted in again, darting between its legs, ducking low, and slashing at its ankles. She quickly learned which paw had the dagger in it, and stayed on that side of the beast.

"You will die here!" The beast hissed in a rattling voice. Evelyn knew better than to answer it. When the cave was illuminated by another lightning strike, she went for the throat. The tail just missed her as it struck, and her blade met flesh. However, she missed the central vein, and the dagger was ripped out of her hand as the beast roared in fury. She quickly jumped away and pulled out her other dagger.

The beast went into a rage, striking at anything within range, hurting itself more on some sharp rocks. Evelyn stood back and let it exhaust itself. She knew this kill was hers. However, she let her guard down too soon, for suddenly the beast leapt at her, knocking her to the ground and digging its claws into both her arms. She let out a cry of pain, tearing herself free. She knew there was no chance of escape, so she moved closer and drove her other dagger into its neck. This time, she hit her mark. Blood splattered all over her, warm and sticky, and the beast let out one final earthshaking roar before it fell. It was over.

"You were a worthy foe," Evelyn whispered softly as she removed her daggers from its flesh, checking for any signs of life. There were none. "I will never forget your ferocity." She looked at the wounds on her arm, but it was impossible to tell what blood was hers and what was the manticore's. She winced at the stinging. She loathed the idea of dragging the beast back, but knew it had to be done. She rinsed blood off her hands in the rain and unwrapped the cheese, devouring it quickly. She then used the cloth to wrap the end of the tail of the manticore, just in case.

The trip back was a long and painful one. The manticore was heavy, and the sting in her arms, weakness in her muscles, and sour adrenaline in her system only made it worse. She struggled until she finally reached the camp, where everyone was waiting, even the day-breakers. The sun peered over the horizon just as she reached camp, and the rain slowly faded away in the morning light. People gasped softly as they discovered the nature of her prize.

She had done it. She was now a true assassin.

However, she couldn't celebrate just yet. She left the massive manticore body at Zerif's feet. He inspected it, then nodded in approval. "You have done well, young apprentice." He walked over to her with paint in one hand and a cloth in the other. He used the cloth to wipe the apprentice markings from the half of her face that they covered. He painted on the rest of the full assassin markings.

"Evelyn Dracaena, I proudly welcome you to the ranks of the true assassins." He bowed his head to her. She returned the gesture.

Then celebration began. She was congratulated as one of the healers cleaned blood off and tended to the wounds on her arms. "They'll scar, but at least they're even. It'll look cool." She laughed a bit and thanked them. Many people fawned over their prize. Cole and Simon soon found her and shouted in unison, "a Manticore? Are you mad!?" Evelyn grinned sheepishly. They went on shouting. "You could have been killed!" "Eaten alive!" They hugged her.

"We're proud of you." Evelyn hugged them tightly. "Thank you." She stood and stretched. "I need a nap. We depart for the clan gathering this afternoon. I'll get to be introduced as a full assassin!"

That she was. The gathering was lots of fun, especially since she could now join the ranks of the true assassins. She stood proudly when introduced, and smiled when she was welcomed. It was nice to be with all of the clans one last time before she left for Hogwarts. She would be back of course, but it was still significant in her eyes. There were eight clans in all that wandered the British Isles. She placed sixth out of roughly 25 assassins. They applauded her talent, even the snobbish Rafaela clan. The gathering lasted a week. Little did she know, Evelyn would never be quite the same as she was at that last gathering. Little did she know that everything was about to change.

* * *

So I need you guys to vote. Should I put her in Slytherin or Gryffindor? I have ideas for both, and all the romance will still happen, but I cant decide on my own, so please tell me which you think I should put in there.


	3. The Train

A few months passed. August was nearing its end. Evelyn had sold the manticore pieces, keeping a claw for herself that she wrapped in a red cloth and tucked in her large satchel with her other treasures and things she wanted to take. The Manticore had brought in quite a sum in the wizarding world, especially since it was so rare that the wizards had one that wasn't trying to eat them. That, along with other little kills she made and things she found, was quite enough to buy what she required for school, and then some. However, she had no idea where to get the things on her school supply list. She knew about some place called Diagon Alley in London from one of the diplomats, but she had no clue on how to get there. She decided that perhaps she would see someone who could help her in London.

After her final goodbyes to her clan, she left for London, wearing her usual brown pants and green shirt with some brown leather boots she had been given by Cole and Simon. She walked through the streets of London, not really liking the city. She had been there once before, a few years back, but she hadn't been alone then. She was just about to give up on finding a wizard when she saw a massive man with lots of hair and a great beard walk inside an inn called The Leaky Cauldron with a young boy with black hair and glasses who was about her age. She followed them, sensing their magic.

She followed them unnoticed, until they reached a courtyard behind the inn. She watched in silence as the man located a trash can, then moved three bricks up and two across, tapping the brick he came to. Evelyn was astonished as the bricks began to move, forming a large archway. The two walked through it, then it closed again. Evelyn recovered from her shock and walked over to the wall. "Three up and two across…" The archway opened for her as well. She grinned and walked through it.

The sight that greeted her was stunning. There were magical shops everywhere, selling all sorts of different things. She couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face as she took it all in. She slowly walked forward, letting the wonder wash over her. "So this is their world…" She let out a sigh of admiration. Then she got down to business.

She got out the list of supplies for first-years and looked over it. She spent a moment locating shops where she could get all the supplies, then wondered how she was going to carry them all. She looked around and saw that many people had carts, but she didn't think that it was very efficient. Then something in a shop window happened to catch her eye. A bag with an extension charm was being sold. Evelyn had plenty of extra money, so she went in and bought it, with the assurance of the shopkeeper that it would hold all of her school supplies.

Once that was done, she began to go about getting all the things on the list. She went to a bookshop first, where the shop keeper was happy to help her find her books. Then she went to get her uniform. She thought the very idea of robes were ridiculous, since it was hard to move in them, but she knew she had to have them. She bought a hat, and a winter cloak. She didn't buy protective gloves, because she already had several pairs of those.

She bought the rest of the equipment she needed, carefully tucking it in the bag, then headed to the wand shop. She wasn't entirely sure how all of this worked, so she went to the shopkeeper, who introduced himself as Ollivander.

"If you'll hold on for just a moment," he let her sit down while he helped the other customer in the shop. It was that boy again. She noticed that he had a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead. It was a bit unusual to her. She watched him test several wands, then smiled when he finally found the one that worked for him.

The boy noticed her, then waved. She waved back. He asked, "are you a first-year too?" She nodded and introduced herself, "Evelyn Dracaena. A pleasure." "Harry Potter." They shook hands, but Ollivander interrupted. "A Dracaena? And a Potter, right in my shop together!" The two children glanced at him, a bit confused, but let it slide.

"Perhaps I'll see you on the train?" Harry asked. It was clear that, like her, he didn't know anyone here. Evelyn smiled, "perhaps." Then the boy left, presumably to get the rest of his supplies.

"Let's find you a wand, miss Dracaena. I had heard that one of the Hunters was a witch, but now I know it's true," Ollivander smiled and went down the rows, picking up several wand boxes. At first, none of them seemed to work for her, but finally, there was one that was just right. It was dark, almost black, and simple. The handle was smooth in her hand, fitting just right in her palm, and the rest of it had a few intricate designs carved in it.

"Ah, stained ash wood with Thestral hair! A rare wand indeed, I must admit I didn't craft this one." The wand seemed to sing for her. Evelyn carefully set it in the box and paid for it, then left the shop.

With all of her supplies, Evelyn intended on getting a room in an inn for the night, so she headed back towards the entrance to the alley. However, before she could get there, two red-headed twins ran by, laughing, and accidentally knocked her over. She hit the ground on her hands and knees with a soft grunt.

"Oh, we're sorry, miss!" One of them knelt down to pick up her bags, while the other helped her up. "We didn't see you there." Evelyn brushed herself off. "It's alright, it was an accident." The two appeared to be older than her, but only by a couple of years. They handed her her bags. "You're not hurt, are you?" Evelyn shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine."

"I'm Fred," one stated, then the other continued, "and I'm George." Evelyn found it difficult to tell the difference. "Evelyn. A pleasure." She shook their hands. They seemed nice enough, if not mischievous. "We're third years. You look like a first." Evelyn nodded in affirmation.

Then someone shouted from down the street, and the two grinned. "We'll see you later, Evelyn!" They ran off down the street. An older man ran up, puffing and quite red in the face. "Have you seen two twins, red-heads, run by?" Evelyn thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, sir." The man growled, "those damn Weasleys!" He ran off.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Evelyn went back to The Leaky Cauldron. She was tired, since it was day-time, so she got a room and laid down to nap.

* * *

Evelyn headed towards the train station, ticket in hand. She figured that asking one of the muggles would be a bad idea, so she just looked around for anyone unusual. She then spotted a group of red-heads along with Harry Potter. She wandered over in that direction.

"Hey, look George!" Fred pointed at Evelyn and waved. Evelyn waved back and walked over. She greeted Harry. They showed her how to get to the platform 9 3/4. Evelyn closed her eyes and ran into the wall. She was surprised when it worked.

The train, it its way, was beautiful. Evelyn got on, showing the attendant her ticket. "This is incredible." She had never ridden a train before. Really, she hadn't even seen one. She looked around, trying not to run into anyone. Someone accidentally pushed her, and she bumped into someone. "Hey! Watch it!" The boy turned around, scowling with incredible ferocity. "Ah, I'm sorry! Someone pushed me," Evelyn apologized quickly, then she recognized the boy.

"Malfoy?" She had seen him once before, when she and Zerif had gone to accept a job on the Malfoy estate. She had only seen a glance of him, but it was him. The boy's scowl lessened a bit. "And who are you?" There were two boys beside him, watching her. One was fat.

"Ah, a thousand pardons. I truly didn't mean to bump into you. Evelyn Dracaena, I helped to remove the Banshee from your estate a few years back." She bowed her head a bit. The boy seemed pleased at the respect. "I remember you, the Hunter." The other two boys gasped, and whispered about her being a Hunter. Evelyn nodded.

"It's alright, I'm sure it was an accident," the boy extended his hand. "Draco." She shook it gently. He had an arrogant smirk on his face. "Perhaps you'd like to sit with us? A Hunter deserves to be in decent company, after all." Evelyn was about to accept when the Weasley twins showed up and hooked their arms around hers. "Sorry, Blondie, but she's sitting with us." Before anyone had a chance to protest, Evelyn was dragged away and shoved into one of the seating cabins.

"You didn't tell us you were a Hunter," Fred stated (she was getting a bit better at telling them apart). Evelyn replied, "you didn't ask." George raised an eyebrow. At least, she thought it was George. "Were you the one who brought down the Manticore?" Evelyn nodded, looking at the floor.

"Prove it," they both said. Evelyn looked up at them. "You don't believe me?" They shook their heads. "There's no way an 11-year-old could bring down a Manticore." Evelyn sighed and rolled up her sleeves, showing the six claw scars, three on either side, on her arms. "The Manticore gave me these. Also," she went into her satchel and brought out the red cloth. "I have a claw." She showed it to them.

"She really did it." "Astonishing." "How? It's impossible!" Evelyn explained "only to wizards. It's resistant to magic, but I didn't use magic." She put the claw away, rolled down her sleeves, and sat down. They sat across from her.

"So you know Malfoy?" One of them asked. She didn't bother anymore with discerning who was who; it was day and she was tired. "I know of him. I've done some jobs at his father's estate before." The twins frowned. Evelyn asked, "why? Is there something wrong with him?" The twins rolled their eyes, and one of them said "he's a stuck-up brat. I'd stay away if I were you." Evelyn wasn't sure how to respond.

Fortunately, she didn't have to. A boy with dark skin and dreadlocks opened the compartment door and plopped down beside her. "Fred, George," he greeted the twins. "And who is this?" He smiled in a friendly manner at her.

"Evelyn Dracaena," she introduced herself. "Lee Jordan," they shook hands. Then Lee looked back at the twins. "So guess what I did to the tarantula?" He grinned, proud of himself. "I made it giant." The twins shot up, "we have to go see it!" In an instant, the three boys were out of the compartment. Evelyn stayed behind. She noticed that everyone was wearing their black robes, so she pulled one of hers out of her bag and slid it over her clothes.

There was a knock on the compartment door. Evelyn opened it to see Draco and his two friends were there. "Those blasted twins didn't bother you, did they?" Evelyn shook her head. Draco then introduced Crabbe and Goyle.

Evelyn realized why Draco was so intent on making friends with her. He liked surrounding himself with powerful people. She supposed she didn't blame him; in their world, Hunters were a rarity, especially wizard Hunters.

Evelyn could hear laughing, and assumed that the twins and Lee were returning. Draco seemed to be thinking the same. He sneered, "remember, someone like you would be better off avoiding that low family." He left her with that.

Evelyn didn't understand all of this. In her world, status was earned, not given at birth. She shrugged and sat back in the compartment as if she had never moved. The sun was setting.

The twins and Lee entered the compartment laughing about the look on someone's face and sat down in their former places. "Oh, that was great," one of the twins said. Evelyn was pretty sure it was George.

Lee was about to say something when there was another knock on the door. Lee reached over and opened it. A woman had brought a cart to sell goodies. Evelyn watched in silence as the three boys all ordered something. "Anything for you, dear?" Evelyn was about to say no, when George spoke up. "How about some chocolate frogs?" Evelyn blinked. She knew what frogs were, but she had only heard of chocolate. She had heard it was sweet and bitter. She wanted to try it, so she nodded and got four, one for each of them.

Evelyn giggled as the three chased their frogs, which hopped out as soon as the packages were opened. She held tightly to her own and grasped the frog before it could hop away. It smelled nice, anyway, so she tentatively took a bite.

Her eyes lit up. It was, by far, the best thing she had ever tasted.

Fred laughed a bit, "I think she likes chocolate." Evelyn nodded. "I've never had it before." She ate the rest of the frog in bliss.

Overall, the whole thing was a pleasant experience, since she made new friends and learned about the beauty of chocolate. She learned more about the wizarding world from the three pranksters, though she learned not to trust what they said entirely.

When the train stopped, Evelyn got off with them. She gaped at the massive castle that was Hogwarts. She waved to the three when the first years were separated, and got in a boat with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Draco spent the whole ride complaining about being rejected by Harry Potter, "a Weasley over me?" Evelyn humoured him, finding the antics of this world amusing.

They went through the briefing with Professor McGonagall, whom Evelyn liked, and headed towards the main hall. She wondered which house she would be put in.

* * *

Okay guys, Slytherin or Gryffindor?


	4. The Hat

Evelyn was quite fond of the ghosts that went about their business while chatting with the new students. They seemed quite nice. One of them came up to her, peering down at her form where it hovered in the air. "So this is the Hunter?" It moved around her. "I knew a Hunter once! His name was Thror, and he brought down a mighty dragon with a single blow." Evelyn smiled a bit, "I've heard that story." The ghost smiled and patted her head, then went off to bother someone else.

Then they were lead to the Great Hall. Evelyn gasped aloud at the grandeur of it all. The floating candles bathed the room in a golden light, and the whole place had an air of happy ease about it. Not to mention the architecture of the hall itself was unlike anything Evelyn had ever seen. She had camped in an old castle once before, but it was ruins compared to this.

That was when she heard singing, and looked towards the front of the hall to where a hat sat on a stool, singing a song. Evelyn smiled.

 _Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_  
 _But don't judge on what you see,_  
 _I'll eat myself if you can find_  
 _A smarter hat than me._

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_  
 _Your top hats sleek and tall,_  
 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_  
 _And I can cap them all._

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_  
 _The Sorting Hat can't see,_  
 _So try me on and I will tell you_  
 _Where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_  
 _Where dwell the brave at heart,_  
 _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_  
 _Set Gryffindors apart;_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_  
 _Where they are just and loyal,_  
 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_  
 _And unafraid of toil;_

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_  
 _if you've a ready mind,_  
 _Where those of wit and learning,_  
 _Will always find their kind;_

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_  
 _You'll make your real friends,_  
 _Those cunning folks use any means_  
 _To achieve their ends._

 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
 _And don't get in a flap!_  
 _You're in safe hands (though I have none)_  
 _For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

Evelyn listened as the students got called in alphabetical order by last name. She was early on in the list. She was nervous, but held herself proudly as she walked up to the stool. There were whispers about the Hunter as she walked by, but she didn't mind. She caught the eyes of Fred and George, and smiled a bit at them as they wished her luck. She wondered which house she would be put in as she sat on the stool. The hat was placed on her head. She could hear it talking to her. "Ah, the young Hunter, strong and cunning and brave, unafraid of even the mightiest creature, but not brash. Perhaps..." Evelyn thought that she would like to be in Gryffindor, since she knew people in there. The hat spoke, "oh, but what about Slytherin? With someone of your prowess, it would be a good place for you to grow. However, you are very open about your views, and like to get straight to the point."

There was a period of silence. Then the hat shouted...


	5. The Friend

"Gryffindor!"

Evelyn stood with a smile on her face and went to sit with her house. The twins pulled her to sit between them, "congratulations!" She grinned, giggling with happiness. Lee reached over the table to ruffle her hair.

The sorting hat went through the list. Evelyn was confused with all the gossip when Harry Potter's name was called. She asked, "why is everyone so worked up? Who is he?" The twins looked at her incredulously. "Are you serious?" "You don't know?" Lee _tsk_ ed and crossed his arms. "Honestly, who doesn't know? Harry Potter, the boy who lived." They told her the story of Harry Potter, how his parents had been murdered and how he got the scar. Evelyn looked at the poor boy. "That's awful..." She wondered what it would be like to have no parents. In her world, people died all the time, and there was a funeral ceremony, then everyone moved on, and talked about the person as if they were still alive. Death was normal. Without parents, Evelyn doubted that her life would be all that different. However, she knew that it was very different for other humans.

Harry got sorted into Gryffindor and came to sit with them. Evelyn smiled, "congratulations." Harry thanked her.

Evelyn felt a bit sad when Malfoy got put in Slytherin. When she caught his eye, he looked away quickly. She resolved to speak with him before the night ended. The twin's little brother Ron got sorted into Gryffindor. Evelyn thought he was funny, being so flustered all the time.

The Headmaster, Dumbledore, gave a speech. Evelyn listened intently, making sure to note all of the rules. Then they began to eat.

Half of the dishes that appeared on the table, Evelyn had never seen before. She had to look around to learn how each thing was supposed to be eaten. She was a fan of the roast duck. Dessert was luxurious, and a completely new experience. In the clan, there was no such thing as dessert. Really, there was no set meal times, everyone ate when they were hungry, and it just happened to be around the same time as everyone else. She really enjoyed everything that had chocolate. Her smile was blissful as she let the chocolate pudding slide down her throat.

After supper, there was another speech, and they all sang the school song. Evelyn listened, trying to catch on. Then they all headed to their dorms.

Before going with the other Gryffindors, Evelyn managed to pull Draco aside. "What is it?" He seemed a bit snappish. Evelyn smiled, "we can still be friends, right?" At his look, she laughed a bit, "you don't have to tell the other Slytherins if it's that important, but I'd still like to be friends."

Draco blushed. It was a tiny blush, just a pink tinge on his cheeks, but THE Draco Malfoy blushed. He nodded, clearing his throat. "Of course, but don't go getting all chummy in front of everyone." Evelyn nodded, understanding a bit. "I get it, it's like being friends with someone in a different clan. There are times when it's appropriate, and times when you have to pretend you don't know each other." Draco seemed confused. "Clans?" Evelyn nodded, "the Hunters aren't all one clan." Draco nodded in understanding.

Evelyn heard her name being called. "I'll see you later," she waved and ran off, leaving Draco wondering what had just happened.

Evelyn caught up with the others, climbing the seemingly endless stairs. There was a poltergeist named Peeves, but they got past without too much trouble. The Prefect, Percy, got them by and up to a painting of a fat lady. Evelyn giggled as she bantered and finally let them in.

The dorm was a warm, cozy place, with red and gold decor everywhere. The others seemed quite tired, but since it was night, Evelyn was wide awake. She went up to the rooms with the other girls, getting a bed beside a girl named Hermione. Hermione didn't seem too tired, so Evelyn struck a quiet conversation with her, sitting on her bed.

"Tell me about the Hunters," was the first question after the introductory formalities. Evelyn smiled, "I'd be happy to. What would you like to know?" Hermione thought with an intelligent look. Evelyn liked her. "I've heard that you're separated into clans. How many are there? What are their names?" Evelyn gathered her thoughts and replied, "There are eight clans in all. I hail from clan Dracaena. There's Rafaela, Sapphira, Grilor, Manticara, Alexania, Umbrae, and Thalos. Every five years we meet for a gathering and the Hunter games, where each class tries to prove that their clan is the best. I came sixth out of twenty five assassins in my first games," she said the last part proudly. "Also, the Hunters aren't always at peace. Just like the rest of the world, we're divided by territories, and we get into wars sometimes. I don't know much about human wars, but ours are vicious, for we employ magical creatures to our aid. Every war is bloodier than the last."

Hermione went right to the next question. "I know some of the classes, but can you tell me all of them?" Evelyn nodded and gave simplified versions of all the classes and their jobs.

Hermione and Evelyn talked long into the night, each learning about the other's world. Evelyn learned a great many things about both wizards and muggles, and it was fun to explain the customs and lifestyle of the Hunters to her. They also learned about each other personally, such as their goals and the things they had done, and Evelyn was glad to tell Hermione about how much she loved her recent discovery of chocolate.

Eventually, Hermione went to sleep, so after a brief goodnight, Evelyn went over to the window to look out over the lands beneath the window. She had a beautiful view of the moonlit moorlands. She knew she should probably try to sleep, but she just couldn't. She took her wand out of the box and stroked it tenderly. "I wonder what adventures we'll get into," she pondered quietly. She took off her robes and sat on her bed, pulling the curtains around her. She undressed and settled in bed, setting her clothes beside her pillow so she could get to them in the morning.

She dreamt of her clan being scorched into ash statues by dragon fire. She shot up in bed and stared at the ceiling for the rest of the night.


	6. The Potions

Evelyn did not like how the halls of Hogwarts kept changing. She did not like it one bit. She would learn one path to class, and then the damn halls would put themselves somewhere else, so she had to learn a new route.

Evelyn was also getting tired of hearing about Harry Potter, and she could tell that Harry was, too. She had become good friends with him, Hermione, and Ron, as well as better friends with the trickster twins and Lee, and her removed state from the wizarding world gave her a different view on the boy who lived than everyone else had. In his own way, Harry seemed to appreciate it.

Evelyn didn't like much about all the change at all, really. Sure, the magic was fun, and she enjoyed classes, as well as the teachers and ghosts and everything that wandered the halls, but she despised being awake during the day and struggling to sleep at night, and she didn't like the set meal times, so by the end of the week, on her way to the first potions class, she was quite frayed, and quite cranky.

She walked into class and plopped down beside Hermione, getting out her books for class. She had heard that the teacher was quite harsh on the other houses, except Slytherin, because he was the head of that house. Evelyn didn't think it was fair.

She spared a smile and a small wave for Draco, who nodded back when no one was looking. They had eaten lunch together on days when they could, often sitting in one of the courtyards in the grass. At first, Draco had loathed the idea of sitting in the grass, but he had gotten used to it, and he always came on his own free will when he could without Evelyn asking. She withheld her friendship from the others, knowing that Harry didn't like him at all and the others resented him. She decided it was best to keep things the way they were.

She also spent Tuesday and Friday nights setting up pranks with the twins. It was always great fun, avoiding teachers and ghosts and setting up the most ridiculous things. She had taught them how to be quieter and slyer, and they had taught her some of the best pranks.

She still refused to wear just robes, and wore her pants and shirt underneath them. She also carried a small dagger strapped to her inner thigh, out of habit and just in case. So far, she hadn't been caught. She doubted she would be.

Evelyn was dragged out of her thoughts when Professor Snape walked into class. Evelyn didn't like his attitude. In the clan, everyone had respect for everyone. There was a hierarchy, of course, but no one looked down on anyone, and personal disputes were settled openly.

The dungeons were a bit chilly, since it was early autumn, and Hermione was shivering slightly beside her. The extra layer of clothes kept Evelyn warm, but she felt bad for the Slytherins, whose dorm was in the dungeon.

Evelyn watched absent-mindedly as Snape asked Harry a difficult question. Hermione raised her hand, knowing the answer. Evelyn frowned when Snape ignored her. The whole class, Snape was rude and seemingly biased, putting down all the Gryffindors and low-key praising all the Slytherins. Evelyn did just fine with the simple potion they made, because she had often helped Cole mix tonics for sick creatures and understood the basis behind it.

When Snape called a boy named Neville an idiot, Evelyn had had enough. She stood, and the room fell silent. However, instead of shouting, she went over to Neville and quietly showed him how to do it. Neville smiled at her, then shrank away under Snape's scrutiny. However, Snape focused on Evelyn. "Miss Dracaena, need I remind you who teaches this class?" Evelyn gave him a calm, even gaze. "Then do your job." She went and sat in her seat in silence, continuing to look in her potion book to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

Her remark had taken a few points from Gryffindor, but none of the Gryffindors seemed to mind. As a matter of fact, many seemed pleased, and praised her once the class was over.

After class, Evelyn headed out to the courtyard for lunch. She had a small sandwich and some water. Being so tired, she wasn't very hungry. She was a bit surprised when Draco joined her. She had expected him to go off with the other Slytherins that day, since they had established an every other day routine. They had eaten together the day before, so why was he here now?

Draco gave a bit of a half smile, as if he were about to laugh. "I can't believe you said that to Snape." He sat down beside her. She laughed a bit, leaning back on one hand. "It was ridiculous of him to behave in such a manner." Draco shrugged. "If the Gryffindors weren't so stupid, it wouldn't have happened." Evelyn rolled her eyes. This had become a regular thing. She didn't really mind her house being constantly bashed, and often, she playfully bashed Slytherin. "Well, not all of us can curl up in Snape's lap and purr." Evelyn cleared her throat. "I thought you would be with Crabbe and Goyle today." Draco shrugged as he ate his own finger sandwiches. "They're busy." He was lying, and she knew it, but she knew better than to press him.

The courtyard was peaceful. It was small, more just a patch of grass, wildflowers, and a cherry willow in the middle of the tangle of Hogwarts than an actual courtyard, but it was a special place. No one else ever came here, and Draco had stopped glancing towards the door every five minutes.

It was their own secret hideout. When Evelyn voiced this, the two laughed about it. It was strange to see Draco laugh, since all he ever did was sneer, but it was pleasant.

Lunch soon ended and they went their separate ways. "I'll be back tomorrow," Draco said before walking off down the hall. Evelyn smiled and went her own direction. She was about to head back to the dorm when two arms hooked into hers and pulled her into a dark closet. A hand covered her mouth. She began to struggle, but then she heard Fred's voice. She could tell them apart by their voices, but only just.

"Shush, he'll hear you." She fell still, hearing footsteps come marching down the hall. "Weasleys! I know it's you! Come out!" It was Filch, and he was furious. The twins snickered a bit, and Evelyn removed the hand from her mouth, remaining silent as Filch stormed by. "I'll catch you!" He continued on down the hall.

They stepped out of the closet and the twins burst out laughing. Evelyn crossed her arms, smiling mischievously. "What did you do this time?" George grinned and said "we covered Mrs. Norris in pink glitter, water proof. It'll take days to get it off!" Evelyn laughed, shaking her head. "That's brilliant! What colour?" The twins replied in unison, "pink!" and began laughing again. Evelyn laughed a bit, then asked, "so why did you pull me into the closet?" Fred explained, "to keep you out of trouble. He would have suspected you." Evelyn put her hand over her chest and said sarcastically, "aww, how sweet, you didn't make me your scapegoat! I'm touched." They snorted at her antics. Then they said, "we have to get to class, see you later!" They hurried off, probably already late. Evelyn shook her head and went back to the dorm with a smile.

When she got back, she slumped into a chair by the fire. It was still early afternoon, and she didn't have any classes for the rest of the day, so she decided to get some sleep. Before she could, however, Harry and Ron entered. Harry looked distressed. Evelyn sat up, "what's wrong?" Harry shook his head, plopping into the chair across from her, and Ron into the one beside them. "Hagrid's hiding something from me." Evelyn tilted her head. Harry continued, "it's got something to do with the robbery at Gringot's, but I've no idea what." Evelyn smiled sympathetically, "I'm sure he'll tell you when he's ready."

Ron spoke up. "Evelyn, is that glitter on your robe?" Evelyn glanced down at her sleeve. Sure enough, where the twins had grabbed her arms, there was pink glitter. That meant- "it's on your face, too." Evelyn laughed a bit. "So there is. If you'll excuse me, I'll go wash up. Oh, and do me a favour? Don't tell Filch." She left the two wondering what on earth she had done.

Evelyn went to the room and took off her robe, smoothing down the shirt underneath and straightening her pants. She got a cloth and wiped the glitter off her face and hands. "Those twins..." She checked in the mirror and made sure she got it all. Once she confirmed that she had, she went straight to bed, happy to have the chance to sleep during the day, when she was supposed to.


	7. The Broom

Evelyn woke a little after midnight, feeling refreshed and wide awake. Everyone else was sleeping, so she dressed and got up quietly, going down to the dormitory. She sat by the fire for a while, then had an intense urge to be outside. It was only natural, after living outside her whole life and suddenly being kept inside all the time, so she slipped out of the dorm, not even bothering to find shoes.

Her feet pattered quietly on the stone floors as she ran through the halls, her hair billowing behind her. She managed to get outside without incident. She knew it was forbidden, but she ran across the moors, feeling breathless in the cool night air. She could see the tree-line of the Forbidden Forest ahead. She stopped a ways before she got there and just laid on her back on the cool grass of the moor, looking up at the sky. It was a half-moon, and the stars seemed to sing. Evelyn smiled, just glad to be outside again.

"What are you doing out here at this time? You know it's against the rules." Evelyn looked over to see Hagrid, the man she had seen with Harry that day in Diagon Alley. She sighed, hoping she wouldn't be in trouble. "I couldn't stay inside another minute. Please, Mr. Hagrid, don't make me go back just yet." Hagrid made an odd sound, something between a grunt and a laugh. "None of this Mr. nonsense, just Hagrid's fine. Make sure you don't get into trouble."

Evelyn smiled and sat up, looking up at the giant man. "Hagrid, what are you doing out here?" Hagrid pointed, "my hut's right over the hill. I came to get some twigs and wood for my fire." Evelyn nodded. "It must be nice to be out here, learning about these creatures." Hagrid nodded and mused, "that's right, you're the Hunter girl. Do you know much about the creatures?" Evelyn nodded, "but my brother Cole knows more. He's a trainer, he cares for creatures and knows all there is to know about them." Hagrid smiled behind his mustache and beard. "Why don't you tell me about him? I can make some tea."

Hagrid's hut was pleasant. It was still inside, but it was more like being inside one of the tents instead of in an actual room. Evelyn sipped her tea and told Hagrid of her brother and his talent with animals. She also told him of her manticore kill.

"Did it say anything to you?" Hagrid asked eagerly. Evelyn liked Hagrid and all his oddities. "Yes, it said to me 'you will die tonight.' I knew better than to answer." Hagrid seemed fascinated with her stories. She offered to come back and see him sometime, to which he gladly agreed. "it's rare to meet someone so young who knows so much." Evelyn smiled sadly, "but there is so much I don't know. I'm lost in this world, where respect is given at birth and people never move." Hagrid patted her head. "You'd best be getting back. The sun will be up soon." Evelyn thanked him and headed back, making it to her dorm without trouble.

* * *

Evelyn was worried. She stood in the courtyard with a broom on the ground beside her, waiting for instruction. That afternoon, they had their first flying lesson with Slytherin. Evelyn stood beside Hermione, who also seemed nervous.

It wasn't so much the flying part that concerned her, but the magic part. She had been having a bit of trouble with her magic, even with advice from Hermione. It didn't come easy to her. She wondered if there was something wrong with her. Sure, the magic was there, and it worked eventually, but she felt like it should come with a lot less effort. She was always exhausted after casting any sort of spell, like the energy had been drained completely out of her.

Madam Hooch stood in front of the two rows, one for each house, and instructed them on how to bring the broom to their hand. Evelyn watched all the others shout "up!" A few people got the hang of it immediately, including Harry and Hermione. Evelyn took a deep breath and called out "up!" The broom didn't move. Evelyn sighed a bit, trying to call on the magic within her. "Up!" Nothing. She was frustrated.

Suddenly, a rush of power stormed through Evelyn, and she called out "up!" again. The broom certainly went up, but it flew up rapidly and went about 50 feet into the air before falling again. Evelyn caught it, blushing in embarrassment. The rush of power was gone.

Evelyn mounted the broom like Madam Hooch explained. The worn wood of the training broom was oddly comforting. It reminded her of the staff that the Keeper carried; when she had been little, she had been allowed to hold it upright while the Keeper had healed a dragon fire burn. It was a pleasant memory, and brought a smile to Evelyn's face.

"Now take off!" Evelyn watched as everyone readied themselves, but suddenly, Neville shot up into the air with a startled cry. Evelyn watched in horror as he fell, landing with a sickening crack. He had broken his wrist. The Madam took him to the infirmary, and told the others not to fly while she was gone.

Of course, Malfoy was the one to start the argument between the houses. Evelyn stayed quiet, focusing on her broom. She was aware of Malfoy taunting Harry with Neville's remembrall, but she didn't really care at the moment. She would get it from him later. She wished she could call on the power that she had felt when she sent the broom flying into the air.

She looked up to see Harry chasing Malfoy through the air. She frowned, they weren't supposed to be flying. Then Malfoy threw the ball. Harry dove for it, catching it and pulling up just before he hit the ground. Evelyn was astonished. However, McGonagall showed up at that moment. She seemed furious. Evelyn lowered her gaze as she took Harry to the castle.

Malfoy laughed, "serves him right." Evelyn rolled her eyes, "you're jealous." He seemed surprised, "how could I be jealous of him?" Evelyn set her broom down and crossed her arms. "Because you couldn't have made that dive." Malfoy seemed angry, "you couldn't have either." Evelyn shrugged, "don't want to. Besides, I bet I could anyway. It can't be that different from pulling an Abraxan out of a dive." Immediately, people start questioning her on her experience with Abraxans. She explained calmly, "my brother is friends with a trainer in clan Thalos, who use them as warhorses. He was given one, and he let me ride it one time when he was sick and couldn't do it. I used it to bring down a small river troll, which required some diving."

After all the amazement died down, Malfoy scoffed. "I don't believe you." She smirked a bit. "Oh? Try me." She picked up her broom, feeling that same surge of power. She took off at a rapid rate, flying into the sky. She turned around and dove straight towards the ground. She had one hand free, even though they were supposed to keep both hands on the broom. She was used to holding a sword in one hand while flying, so she just held her hand out. She pulled up, her robes brushing the grass. She slowed to a stop and landed right in front of Malfoy. "Believe me now?" The surge of power faded, and she was left with a grin and wild hair.

That was when Madam Hooch returned, and the lesson resumed. Evelyn discovered that she was great with quick maneuvering, and that she enjoyed being on a broom, though it wasn't the same as being one with a living, breathing creature.

Suppertime rolled around. Evelyn discovered that Harry had been made Seeker, and voiced that she was happy for him. She didn't know much about Quidditch, but she understood that it was something similar to the Hunter games: a chance for each house to prove that they're the best. Fred and George were also on the team. When someone mentioned Evelyn's own skills, they said that next year, she should try out for chaser. Evelyn tilted her head, "but I know nothing about Quidditch." Fred ruffled her hair, "we'll teach you." She could tell them apart now, most of the time. George grinned, "it's easy!"

Just then, Draco dropped by, with Crabbe and Goyle in tow. The two lackeys nodded to Evelyn discreetly, to which she smiled a bit. Malfoy challenged Harry to a wizard' duel at midnight. Evelyn rolled her eyes, but that was something that she wanted to see, so she didn't say anything. Hermione said it was a bad idea, but Harry agreed anyway. Evelyn planned on following them to observe. She was a night person anyway.

That night, Evelyn followed Harry and Ron out of the dorm. Hermione tried to stop them, but she got locked out, so she had to go as well. Evelyn followed them, not sure if they knew she was there. She revealed herself when Neville showed up, also locked out.

That was when Filch showed up. It was a noisy chase, but it was exciting for Evelyn. They realized that it was a trap set by Malfoy. Hermione opened a magic door, and they all hid inside. Evelyn was breathless and trying not to laugh. That was when the three-headed dog showed up. They made it out of the room just before it attacked, and back to the tower. Evelyn laughed a bit as she sat in bed. Hermione didn't think it was funny. Evelyn shook her head a bit, "but when Peeves refused to answer! Filch was so mad!" She continued to giggle, then laid down. "Sleep well." Hermione 'humphed' and fell asleep.

Evelyn, however, was restless. She got up again, once she was sure Hermione was asleep, and headed down to the common room. She stretched and glanced at the fire. She smiled a bit, putting her hands out to its warmth. She let out a sigh of content. She went back to bed when dawn peered through the windows. She slept for a few hours until Hermione insisted that she get up for breakfast.

The look on Malfoy's face was priceless. Evelyn ate her breakfast as the mail came in. She was surprised when one of the envelopes was for her. Harry got a large package, but she was more interested in her own mail. She tucked it into her pocket and finished eating.

"Now's a good time as ever," George stated out of nowhere. Fred nodded in agreement. Evelyn was confused. "Come on then," they pulled her out of the hall and out to the moor. They had "borrowed" one of the training brooms. Evelyn understood then, they were going to teach her Quidditch.

They spent an hour or so going over the rules and positions. It seemed simple enough. It was also the first time that Evelyn had seen the twins being so serious. She paid attention, making sure their efforts weren't wasted.

Then they started flying. Or, tried to. Evelyn couldn't call on the power she needed to get her broom going. The twins looked at each other. Then Fred said, "if you can catch this Quaffle in five seconds, I'll give you a chocolate frog." He threw the Quaffle into the air. That was all the motivation Evelyn needed. She shot up into the sky, catching the Quaffle easily. The twins grinned, and Evelyn realized why her magic didn't work. She didn't have the motivation she needed. Now that she knew, she was sure she could do it.

She landed, grinning. As promised, Fred produced a chocolate frog from his pocket and gave it to her, "that was only two seconds. You're fast." Evelyn ate the chocolate quickly, smiling blissfully.

They practiced until Evelyn had to go to class. She thanked the twins and hurried to class. She had a grin on her face, and that day, she could do every spell asked of her.


	8. The Troll

The letter was in the Hunter language.

 _Dear Eve,_

 _I've never written a letter before. How does it work? I hope you're doing well. You'll have to tell me about school when you come home. Will you be coming for Christmas, whatever that is, or will we have to wait until the summer? We hope to hear from you._

 _Einar and Simon brought down a young dragon. They want to brag, so I'm sending you a scale._

 _-Cole_

Inside the envelope was a shimmering red scale.

* * *

Evelyn had never heard of Halloween before. However, she liked the idea, once it was explained to her. She also liked the increasingly challenging classes.

Evelyn was partnered with Neville in charms class. She and Neville got along. She was kind to him and very patient, which he appreciated. They were learning to make things fly that day. Evelyn looked at the feather, and told herself that she could have one of the chocolate frogs she had stashed away if she could make it fly. Her power came to her, and with a flick of her wand, the feather floated up off the table.

Neville had no such luck. Even with gentle explanations, he couldn't do it on his own. His wrist didn't flick just right. Evelyn put her hand over his and showed him how. With her guidance, the feather wobbled up a few feet. Neville's face lit up, "I did it!" Evelyn let go of his hand, "well done."

After class, Evelyn noticed that Hermione looked very upset. She followed her friend to the bathroom without her knowledge. Hermione sat down on the floor and began to cry. Evelyn just stood there at first, unsure of what to do. She slowly walked over, her chest twisting in pity. "Hermione, what's wrong?" Hermione looked up at her, tears streaking down her face. At first, she tried to compose herself, but when Evelyn sat down beside her, Hermione cried onto her shoulder. Evelyn held her and rocked her gently. She wasn't sure what to do, but from how tightly Hermione was clinging to her robe, she figured she was doing the right thing.

They sat like that for hours. Once Hermione's sobs calmed enough for her to speak, Evelyn asked gently, "what's wrong?" Hermione sniffled, "am I really horrible?" Evelyn blinked, "not at all, on the contrary, you're quite delightful." Hermione shook her head, "Ron thinks I'm a nightmare." Evelyn stroked her curly hair. "You're not. He just isn't used to someone who will stop at nothing to make sure he learns. It's quite admirable, what you do for him. I'm sure deep down, he appreciates it." Hermione shifted a bit. "You think?" Evelyn nodded, "yes. You've helped me a lot, I'm sure you've helped him even more."

Hermione gave a shaky smile. Evelyn was about to speak again when a thunderous roar shook the bathroom. Evelyn looked up to see a troll being shoved inside, and heard the lock click. Hermione screamed. Evelyn quickly moved her out of the way as the troll's club came crashing down, shattering the stone where they had been moments before. Evelyn's heart raced. She made Hermione sit under a sink, then got the troll's attention. She lifted her robe and got out the small dagger that was strapped to her thigh. She wished she had her real weapons, but this would have to do.

"Oi! Over here!" She shouted, drawing it away from Hermione. It followed her. She wrinkled her nose at the stench, backing away. She backed into a wall. She smirked and used the wall to jump and propel herself towards the troll, driving her dagger into its eye. It was jerked out of her hand, and she cursed as she was flung to the ground. She got on her feet quickly, her ears ringing, and ran between its legs. It turned, swinging its club. Evelyn jumped over it, landing on its arm, and held on for dear life. The troll dried to shake her off, roaring in fury. She grinned, glad to be back where she belonged, and climbed its arm. She jerked her dagger out of its eye and drove it into his other eye.

Just then, Harry and Ron burst in. Momentarily distracted, Evelyn slipped on the edge of her robe and cried out as she was flung away. The club hit her in mid-air, slamming her into the stone wall. She landed harshly on the floor and didn't move.

She was aware of the troll smacking itself in the head. She groaned, her entire body was on fire. She coughed, tasting blood. "I'm losing my touch..." She felt horrible. Not only had she failed to bring down a simple troll, she had let herself get distracted.

She was aware of being magically lifted, then she was aware of lying in an infirmary bed. Her body no longer burned, and she began to wake. She opened her eyes to two identical faces. The twins grinned down at her, "welcome back to the land of the living!"

Fury rushed through Evelyn, and she shot up. "Damn it!" She winced at a dull ache in her side. She stood, knowing that she had been magically healed, and stomped. "I cant believe this!" The twins looked startled. "What's wrong?"

"I failed! It was a simple troll! I've taken down dozens, and I let myself get distracted now? I'm losing my touch." Her fury subsided to calm determination. "I've got to keep myself in shape." She paced a bit, thinking. She decided that during the night, when she was awake anyway, she could train herself. "Zerif would be furious if he knew."

The twins put a hand each on her shoulders. "Calm down." She took a deep breath. "How long have I been out?" They glanced at each other. "Two days." Evelyn blanked. "Excuse me?" They each held up two fingers. She sighed and sat back down on her bed. She smiled a bit when they said, "we're glad you're awake."

Madam Pomfrey entered the infirmary. "Ah, you're awake." She bustled over and began checking Evelyn. "I'd like you to stay one more night." Evelyn nodded absent-mindedly. She let out a deep sigh. "I can't believe I got beaten by a troll."

* * *

That night Evelyn was staring out the window when she heard a soft noise. She looked over to see the door being pushed open. She blinked as none other than Draco Malfoy entered the infirmary. He looked around, as if making sure he was alone, then noticed she was awake. He blushed, "you're up." Evelyn nodded. "What are you doing here?" Malfoy looked shy. "I..." He cleared his throat, clearly trying to preserve his pride. Evelyn smiled, "are you here to see me? Did you come at night so no one would know you're worried about a Gryffindor?" Malfoy nodded, averting his gaze.

"Thank you," Evelyn said quietly. "You know, you're not as bad as you make yourself out to be." Draco sat down in the chair beside her bed. Evelyn opened the drawer, "want a chocolate frog?" She had two; the twins had each given her one. Draco nodded, "yes, I would, if you don't mind." "Not at all," she set one in his palm and opened the other. She let out a content sigh as the sweet chocolate melted in her mouth. She really loved chocolate.

They sat in peaceful silence for a while. It wasn't tense, nor was it awkward. Just... peaceful.

Draco broke the silence first. "How are you feeling?" Evelyn responded, "angry, to be honest. I can't believe I got beaten by a simple troll. I let myself get distracted, and I slipped on the damn robe. How do you people wear them all the time?" Draco laughed softly, "we don't spend a whole lot of time jumping through the air. You know, Hermione told everyone about your battle with the troll. You were amazing." Evelyn shrugged, "I'm losing my touch. I need to start training again."

They made small talk for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Draco left a little before dawn. Evelyn hugged him before he went. It was sad, the poor boy seemed like he had never been hugged before. She was reluctant to let go.


	9. The Dragon

Evelyn was excited to see her first Quidditch match. She sat with Ron and Hermione. She watched intently, grinning and cheering when Gryffindor took the first point. The game was exciting, like watching the Hunter games when she was too young to compete. She cheered for the twins, too.

Just then, Evelyn noticed that Harry was wobbling on his broom. She gulped and watched nervously as it began to bolt around, seemingly with a life of its own. She heard the others say something about Snape, but she wasn't paying attention. Harry fell, and she cried out. He was alright, and he even caught the snitch in his mouth. Gryffindor won the game.

After the game, Evelyn went down to congratulate the team, waiting her turn patiently. When the twins spotted her, they gave her a big, sweaty hug. Evelyn laughed and exclaimed, "you did great!" They seemed to enjoy her praise.

That night, Evelyn went out to Hagrid's hut like she normally did. She and Hagrid had worked out a deal; she would do chores for him, making her stronger, and he would teach her more about magical creatures. When she finished at Hagrid's, she would go out onto the more with her daggers and practice her moves. Sometimes, she went into the forest, and would train there. Her body began to feel like her own again, and she knew she was stronger when she ran into various creatures in the dungeons at night and had no trouble defeating them. Of course, no one else knew about this.

Winter break neared, and Evelyn wondered if she should go home or not. She had yet to write back to Cole. She learned that Harry and the Weasleys were staying over break. The twins urged her to stay as well, but she was still iffy. Evelyn was homesick. It was strange for her, since she was a nomad, but she missed her family. So, she wrote Cole that she would be home, and wished everyone a "Merry Christmas, whatever that is."

Evelyn had little trouble finding her clan. They were camped on a hill overlooking the ruins of an ancient castle. She was so happy to see them, and a celebration was held for her return. She spent the time catching up on her training and hunting more creatures. She and Cole even built a snowman. Simon put in pinecones for eyes and rocks for a mouth.

However, that time soon came to an end, and Evelyn was sent back to Hogwarts.

* * *

"What do you mean, Snape is the ref?" Evelyn was incredulous. "You'll lose for sure!" Harry nodded, "but we have to try. If I can catch the snitch, we'll win."

After the game, Evelyn was furious. She had missed Harry catching the snitch because Ron and Neville got in a fight with Malfoy. She had broken it up, forcibly making them sit down. She refused to speak to any of them, even at supper, where she spoke with Lee and the twins the whole time.

* * *

Hagrid got a dragon egg. One night, he asked Evelyn to watch it while he went out to gather some things. She sat next to the egg, writing a letter to her brother. He would be thrilled when he found out that Hagrid had a Norwegian Ridgeback egg. She was even there with Ron, Harry, and Hermione when it was born.

Evelyn gasped, "oh, it's beautiful!" The other three thought otherwise, but Hagrid agreed. "I'm naming him Norbert." Evelyn knew the dragon was female, but she didn't say anything. She did, however, notice Malfoy peering in. Harry did too.

However, the dragon was saved. They managed to get it to Ron's brother Charlie safely to be transported to Romania. Evelyn comforted Hagrid. Afterwards, she went off by herself over the moor. She laid down in the grass and stared up at the moon. It was almost full.

* * *

Evelyn didn't see what the big deal about the point loss was, but she guessed that it was important to the others, so she let it go. She stayed on her own for a while, studying for the finals. She still had lunch with Malfoy, and still played pranks with the twins, but other than that, she studied.

She often studied with Neville. She enjoyed teaching him, and teaching him helped her to study as well.

* * *

One day, Evelyn sat in the courtyard, waiting for Draco. She had already eaten, and was laying on her back by the time he arrived. "How did detention go?" She grinned at him, but faltered when he gave her a look. He told her the story of the unicorn blood. Evelyn did her best to comfort him.

* * *

Evelyn listened intently to Harry's story about the trapdoor chamber. She wished she had been there. She could have helped. Hermione assured her that just keeping quiet would be help enough. Evelyn agreed.

Somehow, Gryffindor won the house cup.

* * *

That summer, Evelyn was called with Einar and a rogue named Mira to the Malfoy estate. They met Lucius Malfoy in the entrance hall, and Evelyn let Einar do all the talking. That is, until Lucius turned to her. "My son talks about you sometimes. Evelyn, correct?" "Yes sir," Evelyn bowed her head respectfully, though she was pleased that Draco had mentioned her. "He tells me that you are a powerful friend. I'm pleased that you have decent taste in people." That was the end of their conversation.

They had to kill a dragon. It was a Hebridean Black, a vicious beast, and it was going to be a dangerous task. And, it was a big one. On average, this type of dragon is about 30 feet long as an adult, but this one was supposed to be over 45 feet long. Evelyn grinned at the thought as they went out across the rocky hills. She could make a new set of growing armor with it.

The creation of growing armor was a technique unique to the Hunters. It required the complete body of an adult dragon. If Evelyn made the killing blow, the body was hers. The armor was like a second layer of skin that grew as it's bearer did and was incredibly flexible, and had all the perks of dragon hide armor. It was worth a fortune, but Hunters rarely sold it. Evelyn bubbled with excitement.

Draco, Lucius, and Lucius's wife Narcissa went with them, wanting to see the battle. Einar warned them to stay back.

They reached the dragon's nest. It was empty at the moment, but Mira said that the dragon would return soon. She began setting traps, and Einar scouted the land. Evelyn drew her daggers and escorted the Malfoy family to a safe distance away, then headed back. She stretched, her excitement going. The dragon appeared over the horizon, flying towards its nest.

Einar first caught its attention while Evelyn hid behind a rock. Evelyn held the ropes of her traps, ready to spring them. As soon as the dragon landed, it was tangled in ropes. Einar began banging his sword against his shield, then ducked behind his shield when the dragon breathed fire. It was then that Evelyn struck. Climbing the leg of the dragon and using her daggers as leverage, she ran up the neck, feeling the warmth through her boots as the fire raged in its belly. With no robes to hinder her, she didn't slip.

She went right up to it's head, then felt for its spine. It began tossing its head, roaring in fury, but Evelyn held on, digging her fingers under its scales. She found the tender spot she was looking for, right where the head met the neck, and drove her daggers in.

The dragon fell dead. It was a clean kill. Evelyn grinned and held on when it slumped to the ground, striking what she thought was a majestic pose on its head as everything settled. Einar laughed, "the little moth is victorious once again!" Evelyn jumped to the ground, "I can make my own set of growing armor now!" Einar ruffled her hair.

The Malfoys approached. Draco seemed impressed, but he kept quiet. Einar concluded business and took the money. Evelyn and Mira prepared the dragon to be dragged back.

With the help of the craftsmen, Evelyn soon had a set of growing armor that was the colour of shadows. It was incredibly comfortable, and with it, she felt more prepared than ever for year 2 at Hogwarts.

* * *

Sorry about skipping around so much this chapter, I just wanted to get the events of the first book finished. Next chapter, we go into book two! Let me know if you have any ideas!


	10. The Kitten

Summer break had come to an end. Evelyn found herself in Diagon Alley once again, buying the supplies she needed for year 2 with the money she got from the remains of the dragon that wasn't used in her armor. The armor, she brought with her, tucked away in her charmed bag. She still wore her clothes under her robes, though this time she wore her robes before she went into Diagon Alley.

Once she had all of her supplies, she had money left over, more so than she had anticipated. She remembered that she was going to try out for the Quidditch team, so she went to the broom shop first. There were so many brooms with so many purposes, she didn't even know where to begin. She took a moment to think, then went to look at the Quidditch brooms. She looked at many different brooms, deciding she needed one for speed if she was going to be a chaser. Her finger trailed over a Thunderbolt VII, and she smiled. She gently lifted it off the rack. It fit nicely in her hand.

"Those are dangerous," a familiar voice said from beside her. From the other side, she heard, "they sacrifice safety for speed." Evelyn greeted them, "hello Fred, George. I suppose that would be a concern, but safety has never been much of an issue for me." George nodded, "I suppose it would work for you." "Just be extra careful," Fred added. Evelyn nodded and bought the broom.

They walked down the alley, talking about their summer activities. Evelyn laughed as the twins told her about dragging Harry from his horrible uncle in a flying car. She giggled helplessly at the story of swinging the gnomes over the hedge. "The Burrow sounds like a wonderful place." The twins grinned, and Fred offered, "you should visit sometime. Our mom would be happy to feed you until your gut busts." Evelyn smiled, "she sounds like a wonderful woman." She had met Mrs. Weasley once, but it was only briefly, at the train station.

Evelyn came to a dead halt in the middle of the street, her gaze focused on a pet shop. She went up to the window. Inside, some Scottish Fold kittens were tussling with each other. One was sitting to the side, playing with a piece of string. It was a fuzzy thing, small and cute, with its little folded ears. It was black with white paws, a white nose, a white tip on its tail, and one white ear. Evelyn decided she had to have it.

The twins followed her into the shop as she inquired about the kitten. The shopkeeper said, "ah, he's a troublesome one. Cute as a button, though." Evelyn smiled and cradled the kitten against her chest. It purred softly, happy to be in her arms. She bought it.

"What are you going to name him?" George asked, scratching its ear gently. "I didn't take you as someone to have a pet," Fred commented, though he was smiling as the kitten chased his finger. Evelyn shrugged, "well I cant exactly bring a flying horse with me to Hogwarts. I like pets, but I've never had one before." She thought for a moment. "How about Jinx?" "Better than Mittens," Fred laughed a bit, and George nodded.

Jinx was, indeed, a trouble maker. All the way through the alley, he kept trying to jump out of Evelyn's arms, and he would reach out and try to paw at anyone passing by. Evelyn went to the station with the rest of the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione, and kept Jinx in her robe to keep him out of trouble. She never noticed that Ron and Harry never made it through the barrier.

Lee absolutely adored the kitten. The whole train ride he played with Jinx and stroked his soft fur, cooing at it. Fred and George thought it was hilarious. Evelyn also met Ginny, who was a delightful girl with an obvious crush on Harry.

Ginny got sorted into Gryffindor, which obviously pleased her and the rest of the Weasleys. Evelyn noticed that Ron and Harry were missing, then heard the story of the flying car. Fred and George found it quite funny, while Lee was impressed.

Evelyn fed Jinx, who was still hidden in her robe, from her own plate. The rascal seemed to enjoy being pampered. Lee was more than happy to share his own food as well.

Evelyn ran into Draco on the way to the dorm. She pulled him aside, grinning excitedly. "Guess what I have?" Obviously in a good mood, he smiled ever-so slightly. "What?" Evelyn revealed her precious kitten. Draco did his best to keep a straight face, but when Jinx mewled at him, he reached out and rubbed his ears. "What's its name?" "His name is Jinx," Evelyn was clearly proud of herself.

Crabbe and Goyle called out for Draco, so he left with promises to see her the next day. So far, Evelyn's day had gone wonderfully. She went back to her dorm, let all of the girls she roomed with admire her kitten, including Hermione and Ginny. Then she drew the curtains around her bed, undressed, and settled into bed with Jinx sleeping on her chest.


	11. The Pixies

Evelyn was too tired for this shit. Ron's mother had sent him a howler, and though he deserved it, Evelyn didn't appreciate the noise. She sighed and rubbed her temples, wondering if Jinx had torn up her dorm room yet. It usually took him a couple of hours of her absence to begin going through her chest and pulling random things out, but that morning he had been particularly against her leaving him alone, even though she left extra catnip out for him.

The first class of the day was Herbology with Professor Sprout; they had the class with Hufflepuff. Evelyn sighed, rubbing her eyes. She really hated being awake during the daytime. Not only that, but they were replanting mandrake roots that day. Evelyn knew they would scream, because Cole used them to help heal magical creatures that had been attacked by wizards. They were also used to help heal dragon-fire burns. She put the earmuffs over her head and pulled up the root. It looked like a small, muddy, ugly baby, and it wouldn't stop screaming. She repotted her own and helped Neville repot his, since his hands were shaking.

After that adventure, they had Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Ron had broken his wand, and every time he tried to cast a spell, a puff of smoke exploded instead that reeked of rotten eggs. "Just write for a new one," but he wouldn't in fear of being scolded for breaking it in the first place.

Evelyn was never happier to see lunchtime roll around. She went to the dorm and fed Jinx before hurrying down to the courtyard. It was a day that Malfoy would be there. She checked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't followed and went into the courtyard. However, the person there was not Draco. It was someone she didn't recognize. He wore the Hufflepuff uniform. He had his back to her. "So this is where you disappear to."

Evelyn was wary and a bit upset that her secret space had been invaded. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" The boy shook his head, "no, but everyone knows you. You're almost as famous as Harry Potter." Evelyn was growing suspicious. "Who are you? Do you want something?" She wanted to get rid of him before Draco arrived. The boy turned to face her and smiled. "Ernest Macmillan. You can call me Ernie. Sorry if I'm bothering you, but I have a question that I cant seem to get close enough to ask." Evelyn frowned a bit, "I have a question as well. How did you find this place?" Ernie blinked, "I saw you come here yesterday. I figured you might return." Then he gt a bit of an excited look. "Did you really kill a dragon by yourself?"

Evelyn began to laugh. "That't what this is about?" Ernie shifted on his feet a bit, "not entirely. I also was wondering if you would help me with classes a bit. I'd be willing to pay you, but I'm having a bit of trouble in some classes, and I heard that you even got Neville Longbottom to cast a perfect spell, so I figured you could help me. I would ask Hermione, but surely you can see why I don't want to." Evelyn laughed some more, "I see. Yes, I'd be happy to. You can pay me back by telling me more about the wizarding world. Hermione is a muggle-born, so she misses some details, and Dr-" she stopped herself from saying Draco, "some of my other friends only know about certain ends of the hierarchy. Perhaps you can give me more academic explanations?" Ernie seemed ecstatic. "Of course." Evelyn sat down in the grass, "as for the dragon, I didn't kill it alone, but I was the one that made the kill. My good friend Mira trapped it in a web of rope and my uncle Einar kept it distracted. It was a team effort." Ernie nodded, "but you did climb its back and hang on while killing it in a single blow, yes?" Evelyn wondered how he heard this story. "Yes." She figured that Draco had told it to one of his friends, and that word had just spread.

Evelyn wondered why Draco was late. She was glad he was. She cleared her throat. "Well, Ernie, if you'd like, we can start tomorrow. We can meet here every other day." Ernie tilted his head, "why every other day?" Evelyn came up with an excuse, "because on the off days, I like to sit in peace and eat my lunch." Ernie nodded in understanding, "very well. I'll see you tomorrow then." He bowed his head to her and left the courtyard. Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief. Not a moment after he was gone did Draco enter, not looking very happy. "What was he doing here? I was standing outside the door for what seemed like ages!" Evelyn laughed, "sorry. He wanted me to tutor him." Draco sat down, huffing. "Will you?" "Yes," Evelyn nodded. Draco didn't seem pleased. Evelyn soothed him, "don't worry, we're meeting on the days that you and I don't have lunch together." Draco grumbled a bit and began eating. Evelyn ate her lunch quickly. Then she laid back in the grass, yawning.

"Why are you so tired?" Draco asked, leaning back. It was nice to see him so relaxed. She doubted that he relaxed any other time. She felt a little proud for it. "Because I'm a night-walker. I usually sleep during the day. This is hard on me." Draco nodded in understanding. "So what do you do at night?" "Train," Evelyn answered simply. "I have to keep up my physique." Draco nodded slowly. "No wonder you're so tired all the time." "Does it really show that much?" Evelyn laughed a bit. Draco smiled. He actually smiled. "Not to everyone. I can tell, and Goyle can tell. Crabbe is too stupid. Those moronic twins that you insist on hanging out with can tell, too. I don't see why you continue to associate with them." Evelyn rolled her eyes, "I don't see why you only hang out with rich people." Draco frowned, "I hang out with you, don't I?" Evelyn rolled her eyes, "I'm not short on money. And I'm a Hunter." Draco sighed and didn't argue beyond that.

"Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow," Evelyn said nonchalantly. "I'm going to try out for chaser." Draco asked, "do you have a broom?" "Yes, a Thunderbolt VII." Draco scowled, "those are dangerous." Evelyn grinned, "can't be any more dangerous than climbing up the back of an angry dragon." Draco laughed a bit, "true enough." Evelyn liked this side of him, not the bratty rude front he put up, but this relaxed side of a boy who had never had a real hug before she came along.

* * *

After lunch, Evelyn headed up to Defense against the Dark Arts class. Professor Lockhart was teaching it. Evelyn wasn't impressed; she probably knew more about magical creatures than he did. First, they had a pop-quiz on the Professor himself. Evelyn wrote her name on it, got up, and turned it in blank. She thought it was the most ridiculous task. Why should his personal aspirations be important to one's self defense? It was bullshit.

After that test, the Professor claimed that he was going to arm them against "the foulest creature known to wizardkind." The moron released a bunch of Cornish pixies into the room. Instantly they began breaking things and wreaking havoc. The Professor shouted, " _peskipiksi pesternomi!_ " It didn't work. So, the professor left Evelyn, Ron, Harry, and Hermione to round up the pixies. "What a quack," Evelyn muttered. However, she knew exactly how to get rid of the pixies. The clan sometimes ran into swarms of them, and she helped round them up. Many places were willing to buy live ones, even if relatively cheaply, so they were useful.

She got Neville down from the ceiling and sent him out of the classroom. Then, while Hermione cast freezing charms, she began clicking her tongue and letting out high-pitched squeals. It hurt her throat, but the pixies began to fly toward her at an alarming speed, screeching in unison at her. She held up the cage just as they hit her, and slammed it shut behind them. She cleared her throat, rubbing her neck gently, and set the cage down. Hermione looked at her incredulously, "how did you do that?" Evelyn smiled, "it's an old Hunter trick. We sometimes run into swarms of them when traveling, so we catch them to sell. It's a very precise sound. If done wrong, they throw things at you and attack you, worse than they normally would. If done right, they fly at you in a uniform cloud with that screech you heard. The trick is to hold up a cage at just the right moment, or they either fly away or attack you before you can get the cage up. I did it wrong once, and I nearly got my ears pulled off. I'll teach you, if you'd like." Hermione nodded, "teach me tonight."


	12. The Chaser

After class, Evelyn retrieved her broom and headed out for Quidditch tryouts. She was nervous, but excited. She tied her hair back into a ponytail, so it wouldn't slow her down too much. She greeted the captain, Oliver Wood, and stood in line to wait her turn. Fred and George were there to observe, and they wished her luck, building her up as a wonderful chaser. She wished they would quit, she didn't like when her skills were exaggerated.

Her turn soon came around. She told Oliver that she was trying out for chaser. She got on her broom, giving herself motivation of being on the Quidditch team. It was enough to get her in the air. She grinned excitedly; it was also the first time she had ridden this broom. She showed off her speedy flying, and managed to avoid the bludgers as she flew, but she also got the quaffle past the keeper easily. She noticed Oliver had a thoughtful look on his face. Then she saw him let something fly out of his hand. It was gold, and tiny. "Catch it." It was a simple order. Evelyn got it in her sights, then shot after it. She went up into the air, higher and higher, never letting the little golden ball out of her sight. It swirled around, zig-zagging and going in circles. Then it turned and flew towards the ground. Evelyn dove after it, reaching out for it. When she pulled up, the end of her broom brushed against the ground. She came to a halt in front of the captain. He crossed his arms. "Well?" She grinned triumphantly and held up the little ball in her hand.

Oliver nodded and took it back from her. She landed and sat down on a bench, catching her breath. The whole thing had been exhilarating. Fred and George sat on either side of her. "That was amazing," "simply astonishing!" They complimented her. "You'll certainly get on the team." Evelyn blushed and grinned, "you think?" They nodded.

Once tryouts were over, the captain went around and told people whether or not they had made the team. Finally, he came to Evelyn, who stood, ready to accept his decision. He smiled at her, "congratulations. You've been given the position of chaser, and back-up seeker, in case Harry can't play." Evelyn grinned, shaking his hand. "Thank you so much. I won't let you down!"

Fred and George gave her a chocolate frog to celebrate.

The next morning, Evelyn was the first on the Quidditch Pitch. It was still dark, so she was wide awake. Once everyone was there, they began practice. Fred commented, "I don't see how you can be so wide awake this early." Evelyn smiled, "it's still night. This is when I'm supposed to be awake." She had done her nighttime training, as usual, so she was a bit tired, but she felt better than she had in a while.

When the Slytherins came onto the pitch for practice, Evelyn was surprised to see Draco among them. Apparently, his father had bought brooms for the team, and Draco was now the seeker. Evelyn smiled and congratulated him. His response was curt, as it always was in front of others. Evelyn didn't mind.

Hermione and Ron came out to watch practice. Of course, Draco started a fight. Ron ended up coughing up slugs, so Harry and Hermione had to take him to the the nearest adult. Evelyn sighed and shook her head, "not again." She looked at the other three chasers, (there was an extra in case Evelyn had to be the seeker), and said "we can practice without him, right?" Oliver nodded.

So they continued practice. Evelyn practiced as seeker, racing Draco up into the sky. She giggled when they got really high, "you wont get past me." "Oh yeah?" Draco shot forward with an extra burst of energy, but he flew right past the snitch. Evelyn caught it, grinning.

Oliver called her back down, so she went down and handed him the snitch. Draco kept practicing on his own. Evelyn did the training exercises Oliver came up with, as did the others. Practice was exhausting, but Evelyn still found herself grinning at the end of it.

* * *

Lunch came around, and Evelyn headed to the courtyard, remembering that she had to tutor Ernie that day. She had kept her hair tied up, because it was too much time and effort to get it down and untangled before classes started. She sat down in the grass, eating her lunch quickly. She had just finished when Ernie arrived. "Good day," he greeted her. "Henasal." Evelyn told him the same thing in Hunter language. Ernie sat down, "what does that mean?" "It means good day, in the Hunter language." Ernie blinked, "you have a different language?" Evelyn smiled, "yes, and you're one of the few outsiders to hear it, though that is a common greeting." Ernie looked away, "it felt weird when you said it, but not unpleasant." Evelyn explained, "that's because the language has a magic of its own. Everyone can feel the language, even though most lack the vocabulary. Even creatures feel the language, and it's the only language on Earth that has never changed since it's complete formation. Said in my tongue, I truly wished you a good day, so you will likely have one. You're probably feeling a bit happier." Ernie nodded in affirmation. "Alright. Henasal." Evelyn smiled despite herself, "there you go. Perhaps I'll teach you more, though the Keeper wouldn't like that." Ernie laughed, "I wont tell. Besides, it could be useful." Evelyn nodded.

"Let's get started." They spent that first lunch going over wand techniques, which Evelyn had learned from watching Hermione, rather than the teachers. Of course, she paid attention to the teachers, but seeing someone new to the craft master it helped more than someone whom it was already natural to, because she could see the process of learning. "You have to remember that your wand is a tool to channel your magic through. Much like a sword, it's an extension of yourself." Once the lesson was over, they had some extra time. Ernie asked, "would you teach me to fight?" Evelyn was surprised. "Why would you want to know that?" Ernie shrugged, "an advantage. I kind of want to be an Auror when I graduate, and I figure if I ever get into trouble, it would be a good skill to have." Evelyn saw the sense in that, though she was wary of sharing the Hunter secrets. Ernie seemed to sense this unease. "Don't worry, I just want to learn the basics of fighting people." Evelyn nodded, "people are easy to fight. I can teach you basics, but no more than that." Ernie laughed a bit, "why, do you want to stay the best so badly." Evelyn answered seriously, "no. Your body cannot handle the Hunter way, and your mind would not be able to contain itself. Our secrets are our own, and that is for the protection of others, not ourselves." She looked away.

Ernie asked quietly, "what do you mean? You're human, just like us." Evelyn laughed a bit bitterly, "no, we are not. We were once." She sighed a bit. "Honestly, Hunters scare me. I scare myself. You should be scared too." Ernie shifted, "why? You seem fine to me. What could possibly go wrong?" Evelyn decided it would be okay to tell him the story that her Keeper had told her the first time she went to a human city. It was the story that all young Hunters learned, it was why Hunters were never hailed as heroes by their own and given special treatment, it was why they avoided contact with other humans, it was why they were separated into special classes, instead of everyone learning everything, it was why a wizard Hunter was feared, it was why they were told never to let power go to their head.

It was the story of the beginning of the Hunters, and the end of their lives as normal humans.


	13. The Hunter

The first Hunter was named Grosvenor. He lived before the Arthurian age, though no one knows for certain how long before. He was a wizard without magic, a squib is what the wizards call him. He grew up believing he was useless, but when he turned 11, that changed. When he turned 11, he ran away from his home, feeling that he was a burden, unable to protect his family, and he ran to a cave. In that cave, he found something that would change his life forever. He found a god. Back then, the gods still roamed the world. This god was called Anextiomarus by the celtic people, but we know him simply as The Great Protector.

Anextiomarus spoke to Grosvenor. He offered him immortality to defend his people. Grosvenor refused. What good was immortality if all he could do was watch people die? So the god asked the boy what he wanted, what would help him protect his people. Grosvenor thought long an hard on this. Finally, he answered "I do not wish to defend. I wish to protect." Anextiomarus was so impressed with this answer that he gave Grosvenor the knowledge of all creatures and their weaknesses. However, it was too much for a simple human to contain, so the god also gave him a stronger mind, a more resilient body, quicker reflexes, heightened senses, incredible skill, and the language of the gods. He warned Grosvenor, he must never share his knowledge with humans, magic or not, and he must live alone as a nomad, travelling the land. He must never let his power contaminate his pure heart, and he must remain resilient. Grosvenor agreed, and the first Hunter was born.

He became revered throughout the land for his skills in fighting magical creatures and containing them. Many sought to learn from him, but he refused. He fell in love once, and his lover gave birth to twins, one male and one female. When he passed, they carried on his legacy, given the same gifts as he was, for it was now in their blood. That blood never wavered, even as they bred with other humans, until they were a large nomadic tribe.

One of his descendants was named Degare. Degare was by far the most skilled among the tribe in his time. However, he disregarded the warning of the story of Grosvenor, and let his power go to his head. He lost control when fighting a dragon on his own, and destroyed everything around completely for miles. He killed thousands of people, including members of his tribe. There were no survivors to tell exactly how it happened, but there is mention of a black flame burning around the edge of the circle before going out. They do know it was not magic. It was raw, unrivaled power that consumed all that it passed over. Degare survived, but he was a madman, and he spent the rest of his days sitting in the ashes of the dragon.

This is when the surviving members of the tribe who had been just out of reach realized the true meaning of the god's warning. They split their skills into classes, and split their tribe into nine clans, which spread around the world. Clan Dracaena remained in the British Isles. Rafaela went to Europe, Sapphira to North America, including Greenland and the north pole, Grilor to South America, Manticara to Africa, Alexiana to Asia, Umbrae to the Pacific Isles, and though they mainly stayed in Australia, they rode sea serpents to the other places. Thalos went to Antartica, and Marlicia went to a land in the middle of the Atlantic, a land which no longer exists, destroyed along with the clan. They agreed to meet every five years, each taking turns to host.

Hunters never raised themselves above the other members of their clan, simply because of their deeds, and they avoided humans as much as they could, beyond trading purposes and jobs of removing creatures from estates. They never let their power go to their head, and though they maintained the idea that they were better than the other humans, they formed a sense of humility to keep them grounded.

 _Evelyn took a shaky breath, ready to tell the part of the story that hit her the hardest._

Once, a Hunter was born who had magic into clan Marlicia. The Hunters were concerned, but let the babe live. The baby grew up to be a strong young warrior, and generally controlled his magic, not using it at all. But that magic consumed him, tearing him apart from the inside. The day he turned 30, it burst, literally tearing him open and killing the entirety of his clan. Clan Marlicia was no more, and was never reformed. It completely destroyed the nation they were in, a nation in the middle of the Atlantic. History now shows no record of its existence, and its name has been lost. Once again, the black flame is mentioned. They say it was because even a Hunter cannot handle such powers, powers that would rival a god. There are some who say it was because he had not learned how to properly use the magic, and without an outlet, it built up inside of him and destroyed him when he could no longer contain it. For a long time they killed any baby who showed signs of magic, but that practice stopped when the first true wizarding academy opened. Hunters with magic were sent to learn to control their magic, and though they were still feared, and rightly so, they were accepted, though they had to be vigilant. At the first sign of losing control, they were killed. None of them fought against this. We can no longer hide the disappearance of an entire nation. Such a tragedy must be prevented at _all_ costs.

Hunters are protectors, not defenders. We will not sacrifice ourselves for the salvation of the world, because there will always be another threat to face. What would be gained by sacrifice will be lost when there is no longer anyone left. However, we will fight until we cannot stand, then we will fight on our hands and knees. Protectors do not fail. Protectors do not fall. We must protect the world forever, unrelenting, unending, unforgiving, as is our calling. As is our fate.

* * *

Evelyn's fists were clenched and she stared at the ground. She didn't regret telling the story. it felt better to let someone know, and there was no specific rule against telling an outsider that story. In fact, now that she thought about it, she was sure she would have been encouraged, because it helped humans understand the power of Hunters, which was important to the preservation of their solitude.

Ernie was silent for a moment. Then he finally spoke. "Your family fears you." Evelyn nodded, "yes, they do. I fear myself. Anyone who knows anything fears me, and rightly so." Ernie scooted closer and put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "I don't fear you." She snorted, looking him dead in the eye. "You should."


	14. The Bludger

_The chamber of secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware._

Evelyn wondered what those words meant. She walked over the moor that night, pondering. She sighed softly and sat down, resting her arms on her knees. "Poor Harry, everything just keeps going wrong for him." She closed her eyes, planning on meditating. Just then, she heard a familiar voice. "Evelyn, I need your help." Evelyn looked up to see Hermione. She blinked, "what on earth are you doing out here?" Hermione seemed urgent, "you have to help us make a polyjuice potion. I can make the potion, but you're the only one who is sneaky enough to get hairs from Malfoy's friends in Slytherin. We're trying to see if he'll confess to anything about the Slytherin's heir thing." Evelyn stood, "sounds like an interesting idea." She agreed. She wanted to be part of this.

So, she went down into the dungeons. She managed to get hair from Crabbe and Goyle while under the guise of asking them about the events of some class and claiming that their hair was messed up. Then she got a hair from Filch by creeping up on him in he hallway and taking one off his robe. She presented the findings to Hermione, who tucked them away safely where they wouldn't be lost.

Meanwhile, A Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin was approaching. Evelyn was excited for her first Quidditch game. She walked out onto the pitch, taking a deep breath. She took off once the game started, going straight for the quaffle.

There was a rogue bludger ball that wouldn't leave Harry alone. With Fred and George so busy trying to protect him, the Gryffindors were getting crushed. Even with Evelyn's quick flying and Katie's skill at passing the ball around Slytherins, they were sixty points behind. The Captain called a time out. Harry told Fred and George to leave him be, so he could catch the snitch. He would deal with the bludger. Evelyn decided to keep an eye on him.

Evelyn managed to score a few more points, but she noticed that Harry had to make complicated maneuvers to avoid the bludger. She passed the quaffle and looked up at Harry. Draco was laughing at him. She saw a flash of gold. "Harry," she motioned to her own shoulder. Harry looked at Draco, who had the snitch hovering right over his shoulder. He went for it. Evelyn saw the bludger racing towards him.

With determination flashing through her like wildfire, she flew up quickly and took the hit, right to her right arm. It all happened so fast. With a cry of excruciating pain, she crash-landed her broom harshly and knelt in the grass, holding her arm. In the same moment, Harry had caught the snitch. Gryffindor won the game.

The pain was blinding. Evelyn had never broken a bone before, so she didn't know how to brace herself against this kind of pain. Wood knelt in front of her, talking to her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. Her vision blurred as hot tears streamed down her face. She was aware of the twins kneeling on either side, and people crowding around her. Wood's voice broke through the wave of noise. "Move your hand. Let me see."

Evelyn let her good hand fall to her side. She was aware of Fred, who was on her right side, cursing. George held her right hand, letting her squeeze it. Evelyn looked up as Oliver moved over to allow Madam Pomfrey inspect her injury. The pain was getting worse, and her arm was throbbing. Each time her heart beat, the pain got worse. Evelyn was aware of being picked up and carried. When she looked up, she recognized Oliver's face. Of course, he was the strongest physically on the team. He took her to the infirmary, where Madam Pomfrey gave her something to numb the pain. Once Evelyn could bring herself to speak, she asked what was wrong with her.

"The bones in your upper arm are crushed. That bludger was particularly harsh; they shouldn't be able to do this much damage. I can regrow them, but you'll have to stay the night here." Evelyn nodded and leaned her head back as the Madam began to work.

Evelyn looked up as Fred and George rushed into the infirmary, followed by Ron, Hermione, and Harry. Hermione seemed upset. "Professor Lockhart wanted to heal you, but the spell he wanted to use would have removed the bones from your arm completely." Evelyn smiled, despite herself.

Fred was going on about how big the bruise on her arm was, bigger than the actual bludger ball itself. George was furious that they hadn't gotten to the bludger in time. Ron was just worrying, like he did. Hermione was talking about how sure she was that Draco had jinxed the ball. Harry was silent. When Evelyn looked at him, he apologized to her. "Why? You didn't do anything wrong." Harry shook his head. "It should have been me." Evelyn laughed a bit. "It's just a hard hit, I'll be alright." Then she glanced at Oliver, who was standing to the side. She vaguely wondered why she had to be carried instead of magically levitated. She figured that maybe there were too many people, or that levitating her would have hurt more. She decided not to worry about it.

Eventually, Oliver dragged Fred and George out, claiming that they needed to let Evelyn rest, and that they had to have a post-game meeting. With them gone, and Madam Pomfrey off mixing some potion, Evelyn, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were free to talk.

"I'm certain Draco jinxed it to get Harry. We need to make that polyjuice potion as soon as possible." Ron agreed, "I hope it works." Evelyn also agreed, "the sooner we solve this, the better. If he really did do it, he'll regret it."

That was when a house elf appeared. Harry gasped, "Dobby!" The house elf admitted to jinxing the bludger in his efforts to get Harry to leave Hogwarts. He also admitted to bewitching platform 9 3/4. Evelyn had heard how the boys hadn't been able to get through. She sighed softly. Harry said "I will not leave Hogwarts, no matter what you do." Dobby disappeared.

Later that night, when the others had left, Evelyn heard footsteps in the wing, and pretended to be asleep.

Dumbledore and McGonagall entered, levitating the petrified body of Colin Creevey, with a melted camera. Evelyn heard him whisper about how it could be possible that the chamber of secrets had been opened. When they left, she opened her eyes again. Whatever this mystery was, it was dangerous, and Evelyn was determined to get to the bottom of it.


	15. The Snake

Winter break was approaching. Evelyn had agreed to sacrifice time with her clan to get to the bottom of the mystery. Draco would be staying at Hogwarts for christmas, and they planned to carry out the polyjuice potion plan then. However, before then they had to steal from Snape's private store. Harry and Ron would create a diversion, while Evelyn and Hermione would do the actual stealing. Evelyn was excited as they walked into potions that day, though she wore the same expression as always.

Harry threw a fire cracker into Goyle's swelling solution, and it exploded, causing most of the class to begin swelling. Through all the panic, Evelyn pulled Hermione into the storeroom. She grabbed from the right side while Hermione took from the left. They quickly exited, hiding the ingredients in their robes.

Of course, Snape blamed Harry, but without proof, there was nothing he could do. Once back, they put the ingredients with the rest, and out of Jinx's reach. The little kitten had grown bigger and more troublesome, but Evelyn loved him anyway.

Evelyn then went to lunch. Today was a day with Ernie, so she was surprised to see Malfoy waiting for her instead. He was pacing nervously, and Evelyn wondered what was wrong. "Draco?" He jumped when she spoke, then cleared his throat. "Evelyn." She tilted her head. "What are you doing here? I'm meeting Ernie today." Draco looked away. "Well, yes, and I plan to leave before he gets here, but I have something to ask you." She waited. "How is your arm?" Evelyn sighed, "it's fine, now what do you really want?"

"Are you going back to your clan for winter break?" Evelyn shook her head, "no. Why?" Draco seemed to be steeling himself. "I'd- we'd- Crabbe, Goyle, and I would like it if you'd join us occasionally, just to..." "Hang out?" Draco nodded. Evelyn smiled, not only was this a nice gesture, but this was the perfect chance to be able to replace the real Crabbe and Goyle with the polyjuice ones. "Of course. Just let me know when. I hope you don't mind me bringing Jinx."

Draco left and Ernie came. Ever since she had told him the Hunter legend, he hadn't talked about her status as a Hunter. She appreciated it. However, they still tutored, and she had been giving him a bit of combat training, just the basic stuff that humans often learned in martial arts classes. It was a simple and peaceful time. Along with the Hunter greeting, she also taught him the Hunter farewell, "Dalen tir." The two were close, steadfast friends.

* * *

A week later, after breakfast and just before class, the four were approached by Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas about a new dueling club. Evelyn instantly agreed to check it out, the practice would be useful. The other three agreed as well. After classes, they headed to the correct room. Evelyn's hopes for useful practice fell when she realized that the supervising professor was Professor Lockhart, and the assistant was Snape.

The club meeting started off with Snape knocking Lockhart into a wall while demonstrating some spells. Lockhart got right back up. Then the students were put in pairs. Evelyn sighed when Draco and Harry were paired, was Snape trying to cause trouble? Evelyn paired up with a fourth-year boy from Ravenclaw. They were told to disarm each other. Dueling began. Evelyn couldn't seem to get a hold of the spell, and somehow ended up disarming herself instead. The Ravenclaw smirked and held up his wand, but Evelyn wasn't defenseless. She ran at him, moving aside to dodge the spell he flung at her, much like she would dodge the blow of some large beast, and grabbed his wrist, knocking the wand from his hand. The boy seemed impressed. He took the opportunity to introduce himself, "Andrew." "Evelyn." She let him go.

Harry and Draco were using vicious spells, Ron's broken wand had done something strange to his partner, and a girl named Millicent had put Hermione in a headlock, wands forgotten. Evelyn frowned and walked over to the two girls, putting her hand on Millicent's shoulder. "Let go." The girl refused. Evelyn surprised her when she forcefully pried her arms off and harshly jerked her away. Millicent tried to hit her, but Evelyn caught her hand as easily as she would have caught a paper ball. "You don't wanna fight with me, Millie." Humiliated, Millicent sulked away.

Lockhart decided to teach blocking spells next. Evelyn decided once and for all that he was absolutely useless. Snape decided that Harry and Draco would be perfect for demonstrating these charms. When Lockhart explained the spell to Harry, Evelyn was sure that it wouldn't do anything.

Draco summoned a snake. However, instead of going for Harry, the snake went after Justin Finch-Fletchely, who was standing nearby. Harry said something in what Evelyn recognized as parseltongue, and the snake backed off. The snake backed off. All around her, people stared up in terror at Harry. Ron and Hermione quickly pulled him out into the hall. Apparently parseltongue was a bad thing around her. Evelyn didn't speak it herself, but she knew people who did.

Lockhart couldn't manage to dispel the snake. Evelyn grumbled and walked over to it. It hissed at her, poised to strike, but she said sharply, "danuvis!" It fell silent and stretched out on the floor. She picked it up by its head so it couldn't bite her, but she wasn't hurting it. Lockhart asked, "how did you do that? That wasn't parseltongue." Evelyn, tired of this moronic professor, snapped "of course not, it was the Hunter language. I told it to be still so I could remove it safely. Shouldn't this be your job?" With that, she walked out of the room and outside to release the snake. "Anavis." She told it to go free. It slithered off into the tall grass.

* * *

During their next session, Ernie would not stop talking about how Harry hated muggles and muggle-borns, and was telling the snake to attack Justin. Evelyn let him rant, not believing a word of it. Ernie sighed, "by the way, I heard that you spoke in the Hunter language to get the snake to be still." Evelyn nodded, "yes I did. The phrase for be still is Danuvis." Ernie shook his head a bit, "the language doesn't make sense!" Evelyn rolled her eyes, "that is because each phrase is not comprised of the same words. There are no individual words, which is why it's impossible to learn completely unless born with it. I could teach you every phrase I could think of and you still wouldn't know half the language." Ernie nodded in understanding.

Then he asked a question that Evelyn hadn't been expecting. "When is your birthday?" Evelyn answered, "November 17th. It's already passed." Ernie nodded, "happy late birthday." Evelyn thanked him.

* * *

Justin and Nearly-Headless Nick were petrified. Winter break started, and Evelyn was ready to get to the bottom of this.


	16. The Valentines

The potion was finally ready. They planned on using it that night.

It was Christmas morning, and Evelyn was sitting in the main hall, giving the presents she had brought to those she had brought it for. For Harry, she had a small silver charm that Hunters kept for luck. For Ron, she had a leather bracelet that repelled spiders. For Hermione, she had a book on the history of the Hunter clans. For Fred, she had a special knives that Hunter children used to play pranks, the blade would disappear when stabbing someone, and would reappear once it was removed. For George, she had a frightening mask. She gave the three girls on the Quidditch team pretty charm bracelets, and she gave Oliver Wood a necklace with a wooden pendant that was supposed to make his reflexes faster. She gave Crabbe and Goyle sweets, and gave Draco a claw of the dragon she had killed. She gave Ernie a small book of common Hunter phrases that didn't hold too much power, and she gave Lee a small potion that would give him perfect night vision for three hours exactly.

That night, after feeding Crabbe and Goyle cakes laced with a strong sleeping drought, Evelyn met Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. When Hermione refused to come out of her stall after drinking it, she went on with Harry and Ron down to the dungeon. However, they didn't expect to see Percy Weasley down there. Draco found them before they could speak, and Percy told him that he didn't like his attitude before leaving.

Draco greeted them and instantly went off. "Look at this clipping from the _Daily Prophet_ , Weasley's been fined 50 Galleons for enchanting his car!" Draco clearly found this hilarious. He spend a good amount of time slandering Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and continuously asked Evelyn why she continued to associate with them. However, something useful did come out of that. They found out that Draco had not been the one to open the chamber of secrets, and didn't know who the Heir of Slytherin is. He did, however know that the chamber had been opened roughly 50 years before, and that a muggle-born student had died.

Evelyn noticed that Harry and Ron were starting to change back. She made up some excuse for them to leave, and kept Draco distracted while they left. After a few more minutes of talking to him, she yawned. "Well, Draco, I haven't gotten a lot of sleep today, so I'm going to see if I cant catch a nap. Sleep well." She smiled and hurried off back to the bathroom.

Hermione had cat fur, ears, and a tail. She had gotten a cat hair on accident. Evelyn laughed until Hermione hit her with her bag.

* * *

There was something wrong with the diary. Evelyn didn't know much about T.M. Riddle, but the blank journal scared her, and she didn't like to be near it. The excitement of the rapidly approaching Valentine's day did little to distract her. Lockhart was getting on her last nerve. The day of Valentine's day, he wore pink, _pink_ , decorated the main hall, and brought in dwarves to hand out valentines.

Evelyn got six valentines, four were anonymous. The other two were from Fred and George, with clear interference from Lee, and were quite amusing. One was a recitation of poetry, one was a mix of broken Hunter phrases (she guessed that Ernie had sent that one), one was a cute, familiar song that lots of people received, and one was a small box of chocolate. She was pretty certain that the poetry was from Draco, since it was all about how much better she was than everyone else, but that left the mystery of the song and the chocolates. She spent most of the day trying to figure it out.

That evening, she sat on her bed with Jinx, Ginny, and Hermione, still puzzling over the mystery of the two unknown senders. She didn't tell them about Draco's about the poetry. Hermione and Ginny had also gotten a couple of valentines, and they had sent a few as well. Ginny sent one to Harry, and Hermione refused to reveal whom she had sent hers to. "So," Hermione started with a girlish grin, "did you send any?" Evelyn nodded, "yes. I send one to Fred and one to George, just the cheesiest pick up lines I could think of," that earned a giggle, "one to Draco, it was a can with those little pop-out snakes, and I put heart confetti in it that will blow up everywhere," that one earned a laugh and a "imagine his face when it explodes!" Evelyn blushed a bit as she confessed, "I sent one to Oliver Wood, too." Ginny gasped, "the Gryffindor Quidditch captain?" Evelyn nodded. It was an innocent crush, really, just a young girl crushing on her upperclassmen. She didn't expect anything to come of it, and it was her first crush, after all.

Hermione giggled a bit. "Let me guess, you started liking him when he carried you to the infirmary instead of levitating you." Evelyn blushed darkly and nodded. Ginny mocked her, swooning and saying, "oh Oliver, even though I'm in so much pain, your arms are so strong and comforting!" Evelyn hit her with a pillow. Then she grinned and did the same, saying "Harry Potter, the boy who lived, live for me!" Ginny blushed and shoved her playfully. Hermione laughed, but the other two said in sync, "Professor Lockhart, you're sooooo smart!" Hermione laughed and shook her head. At that moment, everything seemed normal.

* * *

Upon hearing the story of how Harry had dreamt about the diary and how he believed that Hagrid had opened the chamber of secrets, Evelyn began to watch him more closely during her nighttime chores. However, when Quidditch was cancelled, the curfew was imposed, the escorts to lessons provided, and there had been no behavioral changes in Hagrid, she knew it couldn't have been him. She visited petrified Hermione often, and wondered what on earth the mirror could mean.

When Hagrid was arrested and Dumbledore removed, Evelyn knew a mistake had been made. She kept Hermione's mirror with her everywhere she went, often staring into it. A few days later, Ron and Harry told her about Hagrid's words about the spiders. Evelyn had the idea to go into the forbidden forest. They found the line of spiders and confirmed her theory. That night, they use Harry's invisibility cloak to go out to get Hagrid's dog Fang for protection. Evelyn insisted that she could protect them just fine, and was even wearing her growing armor under her robe, but the two insisted, just in case.

Evelyn never saw Ron's car creep up on them, because she was the first to be taken by the giant spider. However, she felt like it wasn't trying to hurt them, so she let it happen. Poor Ron was terrified. The spider called out for Aragog, who was a blind spider that Hagrid had raised from an egg. When Aragog was blamed for the death of a student, Hagrid had snuck him out of the castle.

Just then, the Weasley car came up and raced them to the edge of the forest. "Hagrid is innocent." Ron stated the obvious. Leaving the car at the edge of the forest, the trio returned to Hogwarts safely. It was there that Harry had a revelation. "What if the girl who died is Moaning Myrtle?"


	17. The Diary

With the mandrake roots matured and the petrified people close to being cured, Lockhart didn't think it was necessary to guard students in the hall anymore. He was an idiot, but at least they were no longer being watched all the time. So, with the lack of supervision, Harry, Ron, and Evelyn all went down to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. However, they were caught by McGonagall. When Harry came up with the excuse of going to see Hermione, she let them go. Evelyn found herself looking into Hermione's mirror as the two boys just sat silently. She saw Madam Pomfrey behind her, then caught the Madam's eyes. Evelyn gasped, realization flooding her. She shot up and ran down the hall, right to the dorm room, where she put on her growing armor under her robe. She raced down to Myrtle's bathroom.

Hermione had been using the mirror so she wouldn't have to look directly at the eyes of a Basilisk. "Of course, how can I have been so stupid!" She went into the bathroom of Moaning Myrtle. "Myrtle, I need you to tell me where you saw the eyes." The ghost floated over, "how did you know about the eyes?" Evelyn smiled, "because I figured out what killed you. Please tell me." She pointed to the sinks.

"Incidas!" Evelyn commanded the chamber to open in Hunter. It was reluctant at first, since her language was not parseltongue, but nothing can resist a command in the language of the gods for long, so she got into the chamber easily enough. With a thin strip of cloth in her hand, Evelyn ran down the pipes, littered with bones, to two large snake statues with emerald eyes. "Incidas!" They open to the chamber of secrets. There, huddled in the middle of the chamber, she found Ginny Weasley. "Ginny!" She wouldn't wake up. Evelyn looked up to see a black-haired boy leaning against a snake statue. "You are not who I was waiting for." The boy said. A large snake came out from behind him. Evelyn shut her eyes quickly. She tied the thin cloth around her eyes.

The Basilisk attacked. She moved out of the way, using her Hunter training to detect where it was without her eyes. She led it away from the chamber, away from Ginny, and away from Harry, who entered the chamber just as she left.

The fight was vicious, and Evelyn was growing tired. She had never personally fought a Basilisk, so she didn't know exactly where the weak spots were. She did her best to keep away from the dangerous fangs while trying to think. Just then, she heard a phoenix screech, and the sorting hat's laugh. She hear Harry call out to her. She heard the Basilisk start going towards him. She jumped on its tail and stabbed it, tearing at its flesh. With a hiss of pain, it whirled on her, snapping at her, biting her arm, but she jumped away as if it was nothing. "I've got a sword!" Harry called out. "Use it! I cant get close enough!" She heard the Basilisk screech, and then it fell still. She took off her blindfold to see the phoenix crying on Harry. She picked up the diary, tossing it to him. "Use the fang!" Harry drove the fang into the diary, and it poured black ink before falling silent. The black-haired boy was gone.

Ginny was an emotional mess. Evelyn carried her piggy-back to the place where the tunnel had collapsed. Harry asked, "why didn't the bite affect you?" Evelyn grinned and rolled up the sleeve of her robe to reveal her growing armor. "Dragon hide. it didn't bite hard enough to pierce this."

Evelyn helped Ginny over the stone, then Fawkes the phoenix, then Harry. She climbed over, and they all went to the McGonagall's office. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were nearly in tears, they were so happy to see Ginny. Evelyn gave all the credit of killing the Basilisk to Harry. Apparently, Professor Lockhart had been a fake with a talent for memory charms and had accidentally altered his own memory when Ron's wand had backfired. Evelyn left to go back to the dorm. The sun was coming up, and she was very tired.

Exams were cancelled, and everything seemed right with the world. Evelyn went home that summer with a joyous spirit.


	18. The Fire

Evelyn felt like her whole world was falling apart. Einar was dead. He had been killed by a Nundu. Since the Nundu was native to Africa, Evelyn had at first believed that her father was playing a prank on her, but when she saw the sadness in his eyes, and gazed upon the body, she realized it was true. Her grief seemed to crush her, and she ran off into the woods without thinking.

Through the woods and over the plains, she ran aimlessly until her legs gave out, which was nearly 7 hours later. She collapsed on a lonely hill somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It was night, and Evelyn couldn't sleep, even in her exhaustion. So she cried. She laid in the grass and cried and cried until she had no more tears. She had seen death before, even the deaths of those she cared about, but nothing, _nothing,_ could compare to this unrelenting _agony._

Evelyn looked up at the sky, wailing helplessly. When she looked back towards the grass, she saw it. The Nundu that had killed her uncle. Like a giant leopard, it stalked silently towards her, its poisonous breath fogging up the air. Evelyn's grief quickly turned to incredible destructive fury, and she felt her magic power overwhelm her like nothing she had ever felt before. Her vision began to swim and grow darker, and it got really cold all of a sudden. She let out a scream, then the world was silent and completely black. She opened her eyes to find that she was laying on her side, staring at her outstretched hands. Her eyes widened.

Her hands were alight with black flame.

As soon as she took a breath, the flame went out, and Evelyn shot up into a sitting position. All around her, the earth was black. The flame had gone out, but Evelyn knew exactly what had happened. She had lost control, just like the story. She began to panic, trembling uncontrollably. How many people had she killed? How much had she destroyed? Was she going to die? Was she going to go mad?

Evelyn's chest felt tight and she began to hyperventilate. She looked around her frantically, then spotted the body. It was the Nundu. It was still alight with the black flame. Evelyn screamed in panic as the flame devoured it, leaving nothing but a small pile of ashes. She began to cry, breaking down completely. She was terrified.

She understood why those who had lost control did not fight death.

Evelyn heard a voice, a vaguely familiar voice. "Evelyn! Evelyn!" Then someone was shaking her. "Evelyn, look at me!" She looked up at the man shaking her. It was Mr. Weasley. Evelyn believed for a moment that she had gone mad, but the sincere worry in his eyes and the strength and speed at which he scooped her up and ran was real. She was still scared. She was still cold.

* * *

Molly Weasley had just finished putting away the dishes from supper when Arthur burst into the Burrow with something clad in black cradled in his arms. "Molly!" Molly ran over, seeing that he was carrying a girl. Not just any girl, either, it was the young Evelyn Dracaena, and she was cold as ice. "Good heavens, Arthur, get her by the fire and send the boys up to their rooms!" Molly went to get some hot water, towels, blankets, and some medical potions she had on hand. She rushed back to the living room and set her items on the table beside the couch where Evelyn lay, unconscious. "What happened?" She asked as she began to examine Evelyn for any external injuries.

"I don't know, but Molly, something is very wrong." "Clearly," Molly commented and let him continue as she wrapped Evelyn in warm blankets. "Well, you saw the flame go up. You saw how it was black. Black flame, Molly, what on earth does that mean?" Molly nodded, "go on, how did you find her?" "Everything was charred and destroyed, and in the center of it all, I found her, crying and trembling as if she were panicking and afraid. There was a Nundu beside her, I swear it Molly, probably the one the Ministry had called an emergency hunt for, but it was dead. I watched as the same black flame consumed it completely, leaving a small bit of ashes. Evelyn screamed when she saw it, she was _terrified_ , Molly, so I picked her up and brought her here. She didn't recognize me at first, but I think she knew who I was before she passed out."

Molly had never heard of such a thing, but that didn't matter at the moment. Evelyn was still cold as ice, and her breathing continued to slow. Molly gave her a few potions and moved her so her feet rested in the bucket of warm water. "Arthur, tell the Ministry that the Nundu is dead and ask if they know anything about what might have happened."

"No!" Evelyn woke suddenly, gasping for air, her eyes wide with terror. Molly held her shoulders, "Evelyn, dear, it's me. It's Mrs. Weasley. Please, Evelyn, you have to calm down." Evelyn took a few ragged breaths, her eyes no longer terrified, but she was still trembling, "you can't call the ministry! They wont understand, no one will understand, I have to get to Keeper Sera, I have to tell them, I have to die-" "Die?" Molly cut her off. "My goodness, whatever on earth for? You've done nothing wrong." Evelyn shook her head, "I lost control! The Nundu killed my uncle, and when I saw it I got really angry and I lost control-" she trailed off, shaking her head and trembling, repeating over and over, "I have to die."

"Tell the ministry that the Nundu is dead, burned by magical fire. Tell them nothing more," Molly instructed Arthur, who nodded and left. Evelyn whimpered, "there was no magic involved. That was raw power." She sneered a bit, "you wizards wouldn't understand, you don't know!" Molly used a spell to calm Evelyn. The trembling stopped and Evelyn seemed to look better. She wasn't so cold.

Molly wasn't sure what she was talking about, but she said, "you don't have to die, dear. You won't lose control again." Evelyn looked up, almost hopeful. "I don't?" Molly nodded, "you don't. You can stay here to recover. That power and anger has already left you. You'll be fine now, right?" Evelyn nodded slowly, clearly wanting to believe it. "Do I have to tell the Keeper?" Molly shook her head. "No dear, you don't. If you want, we can send a message that you're staying here for a while, if you'd like." Evelyn nodded, smiling as if she was a child getting away with something. "Okay."

They sent an owl to clan Dracaena. When Arthur came back, he said, "the Ministry is going to investigate, but I doubt they'll turn up anything about Evelyn." Molly smiled, "good, now will you bring me some soup? Warm it up, and bring the last of the bread, too." She turned back to Evelyn. It was nice to have somebody to baby that wasn't embarrassed by it. "How long have you been out there, dear? There hasn't been a Hunter clan near here for ages." Evelyn replied, "I left at sunset, right after they buried the body." Molly gasped, "good heavens, dear, that was hours ago!" Evelyn then seemed to remember something, and held up her arm, inspecting her wrist. Tied to it was a leather string with a werewolf tooth. "This was my uncle's. I'm glad it wasn't destroyed."

As Molly fed Evelyn soup and bread, Evelyn told her about her uncle. Molly listened patiently, knowing it was just another form of grief. Evelyn seemed to be feeling normal again, and once she finished eating, she thanked Mrs. Weasley sincerely.

* * *

A bit later, Ginny came down the stairs, yawning and stretching. "M- is that Evelyn?" In her sleepy state, she wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not, so she rubbed her eyes and looked again. "What are you doing here?" Mrs. Weasley answered for her, "Evelyn is going to stay here for a while. She isn't feeling well, so be gentle." Evelyn smiled sweetly. Ginny smiled, "oh, okay." She wandered over, the skirt of her nightgown dragging against the floor. She sat down beside Evelyn, then grinned mischievously. "So have you received any letters from the wonderful Captain Wood yet?" Evelyn blushed, "Ginny!"

Just her luck, those blasted twins happened to be coming down the stairs to investigate, and heard Ginny. They grinned wickedly as they peered around the corner, "Evelyn has a crush on Wood?" Evelyn tried to deny it, but the blush on her face was too honest. The twins teased her relentlessly until Molly shooed them back up the stairs, telling them that it was long past their bedtime. She sent Ginny to bed, and got Evelyn settled in to her own bed. Evelyn thanked her and wriggled out of her growing armor, folding it neatly and setting it on the table beside her, where a nightgown had been left for her. She fell asleep. In the normal moment, she almost forgot what she had done.

Almost.


	19. The Meeting

Evelyn woke the next evening to Ginny peering over at her. "Oh, you really do wake up when night comes around." Evelyn let out an unintelligible sound and rubbed her eyes, yawning. Ginny smiled, "how are you feeling?" "Better, thank you." Evelyn sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest. Ginny then presented her with a letter. Evelyn looked at the envelope. It was from the Keeper.

Evelyn quickly dressed and opened the envelope, her hands shaking and her heart pounding. She took out the letter inside and began to read the Hunter language written on the paper.

 _Evelyn,_

 _We received a notice from Mrs. Molly Weasley about your situation. I believe I know what happened, and would like you to write me at once. However, please do so in confidence, for I believe that you have not yet completely lost control. I believe that you merely have had a moment of weakness, and I would like to evaluate you more thoroughly. Do not fear, no one else in the clan knows of my suspicions, so you will be safe if you return._

 _If you chose not to return just yet, I will come to you. I would like to meet these 'rascal twins' you keep going on about, and I would love to visit that part of the isles again. In fact, I do hope you chose to stay where you are so we have an excuse to travel there._

 _Remember, your day of grieving is over. You must go on as if Einar is alive. The tooth you posses that belonged to him can help you with this. Talk to it as if it were him, alive and well, and I promise you will feel better._

 _Please thank Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for me. I will be sure to thank them myself, of course, but you should thank them as well. Sheltering a Hunter, especially one who is unwell, is a dangerous task, even if they do not know it, and you owe them your gratitude and possibly your life._

 _Cole is worried sick and will probably not let go of you for an hour when he sees you. Simon is very interested in meeting the twins you talk about. Your Mother and Father sent you their best wishes, and Zerif tells you to remain strong._

 _The best to you,_

 _Keeper Sera_

Evelyn nearly collapsed with relief. "Bless you, Keeper." She grinned and decided to send a note that she was staying where she was. Once it was sent, she headed downstairs, the nightgown swaying just above her ankles. Molly was putting supper on the table. "Good evening, Evelyn, how are you feeling?" "Much better, thank you." She smiled. The twins ruffled her hair, and Evelyn was surprised to see Harry Potter joining them. She didn't question it, however, instead she was glad that he got away from that awful family of his.

They sat down to eat. Evelyn loved every bite, and loved being with this family. After supper, she helped to clean up the dishes and put them away. Mrs. Weasley seemed to love having her help. "Have you been to Diagon Alley yet, Evelyn? You leave for Hogwarts in a week." Evelyn shook her head, "no, not yet. I'll go tomorrow. I hope you don't mind, but my clan will be dropping by. They'll stay outside, of course, and feed themselves, but they'll be camped nearby." Mrs. Weasley smiled brightly, "not at all! I'd love to meet them. I had a friend who was a Hunter once, I met her when they camped nearby. I was young then, and I had recently married Arthur. She was a healer. Her name was Vivienne." Evelyn paused. "Vivienne? What did she look like?"

"Well," Mrs. Weasley thought. "She had soft, wispy blonde hair, and the sweetest hazel eyes. She was slender and small, and wore the healer dresses, but her favourite was a purple one. I gave her a charm to remember our friendship by. It was a golden charm in the shape of a weasel." Evelyn grinned, "Mrs. Weasley, that's my mother!" "Really?" Mrs. Weasley lit up. "That's wonderful! I cant wait to see her!"

* * *

The trip in Diagon Alley didn't even take the whole day the next day. By the time Evelyn got back, the news had spread throughout the house that they were going to meet Evelyn's family. Fred still had the trick knife he had given her, and planned on pranking someone with it. George still had the mask.

Evelyn met Hermione's cat, Crookshanks. Of course, Evelyn adored the grumpy creature instantly, and even got a rusty purr out of it. She missed Jinx; she had left him with Cole when she ran off, and she hoped he was alright. She felt guilty for leaving.

The next morning, Percy was the first to spot the Hunters appearing over the Horizon. Evelyn grinned and ran out barefoot in her nightgown when she heard the news, no longer tired, even though she had been about to go to bed. There were shouts of greeting, and Evelyn walked with them, helping to set up the tents a little ways from the Burrow.

Hermione, Harry, and the Weasley family soon joined them. While the twins discovered her brother and cousin, and Simon threatened them to be nice to Evelyn, Evelyn went to Keeper Sera, who beckoned her into the tent.

"I see you're doing well, my dear." Evelyn nodded, "yes. I apologize, Keeper-" "Nonsense, it's quite alright. I'm just glad that you didn't fully lose control. It's okay to slip up, and the important thing is that no one was harmed." Evelyn smiled a bit, "except for the Nundu." The Keeper nodded.

There was a delighted cry from outside. Evelyn stepped out to see her mother and Mrs. Weasley locked in a wonderful embrace. "Molly! It's been so long!" "Vivienne, you look wonderful! You never told me you had a daughter!" The two sat down in the grass, content to talk all afternoon.

Fred made the mistake of trying his trick knife on Simon, and George tried to scare Evelyn's father with his mask. Evelyn laughed and turned to Cole, "is Jinx okay?" At the mention of his name, the cat poked his head out from under Cole's ridiculous hat, meowing at her. Evelyn held out her arms as Jinx jumped into them. "Hey baby, I missed you!" Jinx meowed and purred, rubbing his head under her chin.

Evelyn introduced Jinx to Crookshanks. After some initial growling, the two seemed to get along.

"Your clan is pretty wonderful," Ginny said once everything had settled down and the two and Hermione were sitting in the grass. Evelyn smiled, "so is your family." Ginny sighed and looked up at the clouds. "What will you do after you graduate?" Evelyn shrugged, "I don't know. I'll probably stay with them. It's what I was born to do." Ginny smiled at her, "you'll visit, right?" Evelyn laughed, "every chance I get." She looked down the hill at her mother and Mrs. Weasley. "I'll make ma visit more, too."

* * *

That night, Evelyn took Keeper Sera to the blackened land where she had temporarily lost her control. The Keeper knelt down and examined the center. A small blue flower was growing in the middle. "This land will recover quicker than you think. This was just a small burst of your power, it seems you were more in control than you thought. This is good. You likely will never have this happen again." Evelyn hugged herself, "I hope so."

Little did she know that she would have to use this very destructive power to survive and to save the wizarding world, along with the boy who lived.


	20. The Dementor

The final whistle blew for the train. Evelyn hugged Mrs. Weasley and her mother, who had come to the station with them, and got on the train with Jinx happily cradled in her arm. She sat with Fred, George, and Lee in the cabin beside Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She sat on the outside instead of the window, like she normally did. Of course, Lee was ecstatic to see Jinx and even had a feather for Jinx to chase. Fred and George told him about Evelyn's family, and Evelyn nibbled on a chocolate frog.

The conversation varied from Evelyn's clan to the break to a man named Sirius Black. The criminal escaped from Azkaban and was supposedly after Harry. Evelyn decided to keep an eye out for him.

All of a sudden, the train stopped, causing Fred and George to fall silent. Jinx seemed to get scared and curled up in Lee's lap, burying his little kitty face and folded ears in Lee's tummy. The lights went out. Evelyn stood slowly, sliding the door open to peer out. She sensed a dark presence, one that sent chills down her spine and urged her to run, but her curiosity overpowered her fear. It got very cold.

A floating creature, dark and foul-smelling, passed by the compartment. Evelyn watched through the crack in the door as it stopped in front of Harry's compartment. A disgusting gray hand protruded from its cloak and reached out. Evelyn flung open the door, sensing that something was wrong with Harry.

She punched the Dementor.

The creature screeched and flew at her, but she shouted "aserath!" It was a powerful Hunter command, meaning 'leave this place,' only used on non-beings such as Dementors and Lethifolds that couldn't truly be killed. It was a dangerous command as well, and was only to be used when there was little other option. It was one of the phrases that Evelyn would never teach Ernie, because only a Hunter could handle the power of such a word.

The Dementor screeched again and left at a terrifying speed. After a few minutes of confusion, the lights came back on and the train started moving. Evelyn leaned against the wall, feeling light-headed. Though Hunters were resistant to Dementors because of the influence of their god powers, they were still susceptible to the effects of a Dementor.

Harry was unconscious. Professor Lupin, who had been sleeping, gave him some chocolate when he awoke. Evelyn ate a bit herself, then went back to her own compartment, slumping down into a seat. Fred, George, and Lee were giving her a strange and amazed look. "What?" She rubbed her eyes. "Is there something on my face?"

Fred grinned. "You punched a Dementor." Evelyn looked at her left hand, which she had used to hit it. "Yeah, I did. So?" Lee asked, "how are you still here?" Evelyn chuckled a bit, "I'm a Hunter. We're resistant to such creatures. However, we are not immune, and I would like to take a nap. I'm not feeling too well." Jinx meowed softly and curled up in her lap. Evelyn leaned back in her seat and took a nap.

* * *

"You actually punched a Dementor?" Ernie was grinning as they walked to the Banquet hall of Hogwarts. Evelyn laughed a bit, "why does everyone think that's such a big deal? It's not like they can't be hit." "True, but that doesn't mean just anyone can do it! And you weren't even harmed! It's impossible!" Evelyn shook her head, "it's not. Hunters are resistant to the effects of non-beings, because we're not truly human. And I wasn't entirely unharmed, I felt the effects just like everyone else, and my hand is still a bit tingly." They entered the main hall and went their separate ways. As always, Evelyn sat between the twins. She noticed that Draco was looking at her from the Slytherin table. She smiled at him. He looked around him and gave a small smile back.

Everyone seemed to be talking about how Harry passed out on the train, and everyone seemed to be talking about how Evelyn had punched a Dementor until it left. Of course, they wouldn't listen when she said she had only hit it once and had simply told it to leave. Fred and George certainly weren't helping.

Evelyn was excited when she heard that Hagrid would be teaching the care of magical creatures course. She had been waiting for that class all summer, and it was even better to have a familiar teacher. Professor Lupin seemed alright. Hopefully he would be better than the past Defense against the Dark Arts teachers. She was a bit worried about the presence of the Dementors, but she trusted Headmaster Dumbledore.

Jinx poked his head out of Evelyn's robe when the food came out. Evelyn let him on the table, and when Hermione returned from Madam Pomfrey's, she let Crookshanks wander around, too. Evelyn ate quickly, feeling ravenous all of a sudden. She gave Ron a run for his money.

After eating, they went back to the dorm rooms. Everyone seemed to be especially happy, so they stayed up late into the night. Eventually people filtered into their respective rooms. Hermione, Ginny, and Evelyn sat on Hermione's bed while Jinx and Crookshanks wrestled over a spare feather. As they were growing, the three girls were changing. They were becoming prettier and more like women than children. Ginny, of course, was even more in love with Harry than ever. Hermione teased Evelyn about Oliver Wood, and Evelyn brought up Hermione's possible crush on Ron.

None of them spoke of the Dementors. None of them dared. That night, Evelyn didn't go outside. She didn't have the strength.


	21. The Hippogrif

Instead of taking divination like Ron, Harry, and Hermione, Evelyn took the study of ancient runes as her elective. Not only were ancient runes something that fascinated her, she simply had no interest in predicting the future. Hunters take things as they come, and the future could change so easily, so she didn't see the point. Her other elective, of course, was the care of magical creatures.

She found Mrs. Babbling to be quite interesting. She was excited to learn about runes. They were from a time when magic was more connected to the world and to true power, so the runes all made sense to her as a Hunter, almost as natural as her Hunter tongue. Needless to say, she excelled in class on the first day. Hermione was there, though Evelyn was unsure of how, because she was supposed to be in Divination. She didn't question it.

After that, they headed to Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Evelyn heard about the prediction of Harry's death. She didn't think much of it, but the rest of the class was a bit off, and she was the only one impressed by McGonagall's transformation into a cat. She was amused when McGonagall informed them that Trelawny predicted the death of one student a year.

Finally, they went to the class that Evelyn was looking forward to most: care of Magical creatures. They had the class with Slytherin.

Evelyn gasped in awe as Hagrid introduced a Hippogrif. She had seen them before and knew how to treat them, but they still inspired a sense of majesty. Evelyn watched Harry go first. Harry flew off on the Hippogrif.

When it was Evelyn's turn, she knelt on her knee and said softly, "henasal." The grand beast fluffed its feathers and bowed to her. She stood and offered her hand. It let her pet its head. It then turned to the side and she climbed on its back, resting her hands on its neck. It took off, with her holding on. She had never actually ridden one before. It was different than riding anything else, so much smoother and more majestic. She loved it.

When she landed, Draco was just getting mauled by a Hippogrif. She rushed over, "venaser, he doesn't know!" The beast turned on her, screeching angrily. She put her hands out, palms up. "Venaser." It was a word of apology for someone else, perfect for this situation. The Hippogrif ruffled its feathers and tossed its head, nudging her. She laughed a bit, "marsela," it was an endearing term.

Hagrid rushed Draco to the infirmary. Evelyn leaned against the tree as the other students gossiped. She was furious with Draco, how could he be so stupid? The others seemed to sense her fury and left her alone, except for Neville.

"How did you do it?" Neville asked, standing a few feet away. "How did you stop the angry Hippogrif?" Evelyn leaned her head back. "I shouldn't have. I should have let Malfoy learn the lesson himself." Neville shifted nervously, "but how?" "I apologized for him. He didn't deserve it," her anger gave way to regret, and a pained look. "I can't believe I did that..." She felt horrible for using the language for someone who didn't deserve it.

Neville clearly didn't understand, how could he? But she smiled at him when he tried to make her feel better.

As soon as class was over, Evelyn went straight to the infirmary. "Draco Malfoy, you moron!" She stomped over to where he was sitting with his arm in a sling. He looked startled, "Evelyn?" She had to stop several yards away, shaking with fury, to keep herself from hitting him.

Ernie rushed in at that moment, putting his hand on Evelyn's shoulder. "He doesn't know, Evelyn. Ma Seren, be at peace." Evelyn turned on him, "you don't know the real meaning behind those words!" Ernie stepped back, but he didn't seem upset. Evelyn was frozen in shock at what he said next.

"Kirena Asanath." Not directly translatable, but best described as: Do not be angry at those who do not deserve it.

Evelyn blinked, then shook her head, her anger leaving her. "Of course. Molita, (a strong apology), forgive me." Evelyn left the infirmary and went straight out over the moor, ashamed of herself.


	22. The Toad

Evelyn sat on the moor until it was dark, reflecting on her actions. She put her head in her hands, wishing that she could go back. For his own safety, Evelyn regretted teaching Ernie the language, even if it was only minor harmless phrases. If he used the wrong phrase, or messed up even the smallest sound, it would be dangerous, even fatal, to him and anyone involved. The language of the gods was not so easily quelled when called upon, and did not forgive mistakes.

However, he had helped her, more than she could say. She decided to thank him next time she got the chance.

Evelyn was a bit peeved when Malfoy didn't show up for classes, using his injury as an excuse, but he did meet her for lunch. She apologized to him and told him affectionately not to be so stupid. She was stunned when Malfoy apologized to her.

* * *

Evelyn didn't attend potions class one day, because she was helping Hagrid with an injured Hippogrif. Snape was not pleased, but there was nothing he could do. However, she did show up for Defense against the Dark Arts with professor Lupin, and there she heard about Neville's toad. "I'm glad it worked," she smiled.

Evelyn had never heard of a Boggart. She paid attention to Lupin as they stood in the staff room in front of a closet that had one inside. She wondered what it would show up as for her. She didn't know what she feared most. She hoped it wasn't something dangerous. Neville went first. Evelyn almost died laughing at Snape in Grandma Longbottom's clothes. Neville seemed proud of himself.

Evelyn was in the middle of the line. She thought of Cole's ridiculous sunhat and how Simon looked right when he got out of bed and decided to go with that. She stepped up to the closet. However, nothing could prepare her for what came out of that closet.

There was a woman, exactly her height, a mere silhouette surrounded by black flame. The eyes glowed red, and pearly white teeth grinned wickedly. Evelyn knew exactly what this was. For a moment, she was frozen stiff, but then she got angry, and shouted "Riddikulus!" The hat, along with rumpled pink pajamas extinguished the flame and covered the silhouette. Evelyn laughed, and the boggart retreated. She forced a smile, but her legs were shaking as she stepped away.

When Harry's turn came, Lupin stopped him. Evelyn wondered why, but she didn't ask questions. She was still preoccupied with her own problem.

* * *

After class, she headed to lunch with Ernie. The first thing she did was hug him and say "I'm sorry. Thank you." Ernie smile at her, "don't mention it. Now, let's get started."

They spent about half of lunch studying, then took a break for lunch. Evelyn had just finished when the door flung open and Neville burst in, shouting "Evelyn, I cant find my toad! Trevor's gone!" Evelyn stood, trying to calm him. "We'll find him. Where did you last see him?" Neville was distraught. "Near the dungeon entrance. I looked around there, but I can't go down there alone." Evelyn glanced at Ernie, who stood with a bit of an amused look. "Alright, let's go find his toad." Evelyn grinned and the three headed towards the dungeon.

Evelyn refused to let the three split up. She could protect herself, and she had no doubt that Ernie could at least manage to get away if some monster appeared, but she couldn't let Neville go off by himself, and he wouldn't have it anyway. So they searched for Trevor together, peering into every dark corner and crevice that presented itself. All seemed hopeless, when a distressed croaking noise could be heard around the corner in one of the farthest reaches of the dungeon. Evelyn had never seen Neville, or anybody for that matter, run so fast towards a noise. She and Ernie bolted after him, running faster when they heard him scream. They rounded the corner, only to see Neville about to be crushed by a Graphorn. The graphorn is large and hump-backed, with greyish-purple skin tougher than that of dragons. It can repel most spells, has two golden horns, and walks on large four-thumbed feet. It's a XXXX on the Ministry's danger scale.

Evelyn grinned and grabbed the back of Neville's robes, pulling him out of the way, just as one of the feet came down hard enough to crack the stone beneath it. Neville screamed again. "Did you get Trevor?" Evelyn asked. Neville nodded. Evelyn grinned, "good. Now stand back." She looked around the small stone hall and saw some cracked stones overhead. "I've got this." She lifted her robe and took the knife off of her thigh and got the Graphorn's attention. "Here, beastie!" It made a deep disgruntled sound and stomped towards her. She darted between its legs, giggling. She was always happiest when taking down some creature, especially when she wouldn't get in trouble for it.

Evelyn shouted again and watched as the thing fumbled to turn around, smashing into the wall as it did. A few small rocks fell, but they just bounced off of the thing. Evelyn jumped onto its back, gripping its horn and driving her knife into an eye, causing it to roar in fury and begin jumping. Evelyn kept an eye on the ceiling. "One... two... three!" She jumped off just as the ceiling came crashing down, burying the monster. Evelyn landed on her rear, since her robe didn't allow for a proper landing, and grinned. She was covered in dirt and dust, and had cuts all over her hands and arms, and one on her cheek, but otherwise she was just fine.

Ernie began laughing, "you are absolutely out of your mind!" Evelyn stood, "I'm not done yet. That wasn't enough to kill it, just enough to give me a certain opportunity. You'll really want to stand back for this one." She didn't have to tell Neville twice. He bolted and hid around the corner, peering out so he could watch with Trevor. Ernie shook his head and followed Neville, "good luck explaining why you're all dirty if we get caught." Evelyn took off her robe, revealing the growing armor underneath, and tossed it to Ernie. He held it and stood back.

The rocks began to shift and a deafening roar shook the ground as the beast burst out of the rubble, bleeding and limping. Evelyn was lucky. There was a tear in the hide on its head, just big enough to shove her knife through. She danced around a bit, dodging its stomping feet, and bided her time. Then she jumped on its head, grabbing a horn, and swung herself around. She drove the knife into the laceration as deep as she could. She stomped on the hilt and jumped away as the Graphorn gave a final groan and collapsed, dead.

Neville screamed again, seemingly for lack of a better reaction. "How did you do that?" Evelyn was panting heavily, leaning against the wall. "My uncle taught me." She smiled at the memory. Ernie walked over to her, handing the robe to Neville without looking at him. He reached up and brushed his thumb across the cut on her face, "you need to get to the infirmary." Evelyn laughed a bit breathlessly, "and explain how I got these? No thanks." Ernie ruffled her hair, "then at least go take a bath. You're filthy." Evelyn nodded, grinning, and looked at Neville, who had a strange look on his face. For a moment, she thought it was jealousy. The look disappeared when he noticed her looking at him. He smiled sheepishly, "thank you." "Of course," she brushed herself off and took the robe. "I'd better get going. It'll be difficult to get up to the baths without anyone noticing."

They exited the dungeon together and went their separate ways. Evelyn ran down the halls, robe tucked under her arm, hoping she would be quick enough to get by without being caught. However, when she was caught, it was not by a teacher.

"Oi, what happened to you?" Fred grabbed her arm as she ran by. George crossed his arms. "You're filthy!" Evelyn grinned, "got in a fight in the dungeon while saving Trevor, a hallway collapsed and I killed a Graphorn. See you!" She wriggled out of their grip and kept running.

* * *

"She did what?" The twins looked at each other and ran to the dungeons, intent on seeing this for themselves. They found the body rather quickly, but McGonagall found it first. When she saw them, she immediately said, "you two look like you know something. Who did this?" They grinned, and George answered "Evelyn, while saving Neville's toad. She just ran by, filthy." McGonagall nodded and pulled the knife out of the body. She wiped it clean, "return this to her when you can. I'd imagine she'll be wanting it back. 20 points to Gryffindor."

* * *

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief as she sank into the hot water of the baths. It was empty, given the unusual time of day, so she was free to wash the dirt off of herself and her armor without being questioned. She got out smelling nice and put her robe back on, taking the armor up to the dorm to lay it out to dry. She laid down for about an hour, until she got up for Quidditch practice, which was in the middle of the day because no one on the team happened to have classes after lunch that day. It was a nice change for the others, though Evelyn much preferred the crack of dawn. However, she decided it was worth it when she saw the look of determination on Oliver Wood's face.


	23. The Compliment

Oliver Wood was determined to win the Quidditch house cup that year, especially since it was his last year. Evelyn was determined to help him achieve his goal. She was inspecting her broom, just before practice officially began, when Oliver came over to her. He cleared his throat, earning her attention. "I heard that you caused a collapse in the dungeons today." Evelyn smiled a bit, "news travels fast. It's only been an hour. Is that all people are saying?" Oliver shook his head and sat on the bench beside her. "No, they're also saying you killed a Graphorn. Fred and George were the first to say anything, but Neville and Ernie MacMillan were the ones to give details. They say that you were looking for Neville's toad and saved Neville's life." Evelyn shrugged, "I guess. All I did was pull him out of the way." She looked up in time to catch Oliver's smile. It made her breath catch.

"You certainly are something else. You and him," he gestured to Harry Potter. Then he went on, saying, "he's done some incredible stuff, but he's got a prophecy around him. You, you're just you, and you've done so much that most of us would think impossible. It's all normal to you." Evelyn's heart was racing, her schoolgirl crush getting the best of her. She smiled widely, then shook her head and remembered her humility. "I'm a Hunter. It is normal to me. I'm not even close to being as good as so many others."

Oliver looked her in the eye, seemingly serious. "That's not entirely true, is it?" Evelyn was stunned for a moment. Oliver looked away. "You're classed as an assassin, correct? Isn't that a rare class?" Evelyn nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but he kept talking. "For your first Hunter games, you came sixth out of twenty five from all over the world. That's an incredible accomplishment." Evelyn's cheeks were heating up. To hide it, she quickly asked, "how do you know all this?" Oliver chuckled a bit, "Fred and George talk about you a lot. They say that your cousin bragged on you a lot." Evelyn laughed a bit, "Simon tends to exaggerate." "But it's all true, what I've said. You also killed the Manticore, didn't you?" Evelyn nodded, blushing madly and staring intently at her broom as she polished the handle. What was the point of all this? Why was he so insistent on complimenting her?

"You're pretty amazing." Oliver ruffled her hair. "You're good at Quidditch, too. Keep it up." Evelyn watched him go. He was encouraging her to do her best. She smiled shyly as she watched him walk over to the other two chasers; he really was a great captain.

Feeling a new determination fill her, she stood and stretched a bit, ready to start practice. However, just before she could head onto the field, Fred and George stepped in front of her, "having a chat with Mr. Perfect?" Fred grinned, and George ruffled her hair, "you're blushing!" Evelyn huffed indignantly and put her hand on her hip, "you two quit it! What were you doing, blabbing about my family?" The two laughed and draped their arms over her shoulders, "just trying to help you out." Evelyn rolled her eyes and shrugged them off, heading out onto the field. She didn't see the look the twins gave each other: a mix between jealousy, longing, and mutual understanding.

Interesting.

Practice went well. Evelyn was a bit rusty with her broom, but she was soon back in shape and flying around like a pro. She was excited, certain that they would be the champions this year.


	24. The Loss

Evelyn was unexplainably excited for her first trip to Hogsmeade. It was sad that Harry didn't get to go, but she didn't let that ruin her mood. She promised to bring him back some candy.

Fred and George declared themselves her tour guides throughout the town. She laughingly agreed, then caught Draco's eyes. She smiled at him, and resolved to slip away from the twins later to hang out with him.

Hogsmeade was so wonderful, unlike any place she had been to before. There was so much to see and do, and the air smelled wonderfully of candy, stew, and butterbeer. The twins dragged her to Honeydukes and showed her the chocolate section. She lit up like a firework and just stared at all of the _chocolate!_ She found herself drooling as she began to pick some out. The twins wandered off to get their own candy, leaving Evelyn alone.

Draco appeared beside her, looking over the chocolate shelves. "I didn't know you liked chocolate." Evelyn smiled at him, "like it? It's the most beautiful thing in the world! How can something be so sweet and so bitter and so smooth and yummy at the same time?" Draco smiled a bit, looking back at the shelf. "I know what to get you for Christmas." Evelyn smiled and nudged him with her shoulder before picking out another box of chocolate. "Once I get away from the twins, want to go get some Butterbeer?" Draco added, "see you there in an hour?" Evelyn nodded and Draco left the shop, just as the twins came around the corner. "Ready?" Evelyn shook her head, "I promised Harry I would bring him some candy."

She had a gallon sized bag filled with candy just for Harry by the time she was done, and another filled with chocolate for herself.

The twins took her all around Hogsmeade, seemingly ecstatic to show her everything they could. Evelyn slipped away when they stopped to talk to Lee, who had gotten some wizard pranks and wanted to show them. She was almost fifteen minutes late. She hoped that Draco wouldn't be angry.

When she burst into the shop, Draco didn't seem mad. He seemed upset, until he saw her, then he looked relieved. "I thought you weren't coming." Evelyn plopped down across from him and noticed they weren't visible from the window. "Sorry, I just managed to get away." Draco chuckled and bought her some butterbeer, "honestly, how do you put up with them?" Evelyn smiled, "they're not so bad. You're just biased against Weasleys." Draco rolled his eyes and sipped his drink. When Evelyn laughed, he frowned, "what?" "You have a butterbeer-stache." Draco quickly wiped his mouth on his napkin. Evelyn sipped her own, and Draco grinned, "ha!" She giggled and wiped her mouth.

"How's your arm?" Evelyn motioned to the arm in a sling. Draco shrugged, "it stings." Evelyn nodded and took another sip of butterbeer.

The two enjoyed each other's company until Evelyn saw the twins and Lee enter the shop. Draco stood, "I should go. I'll see you back at Hogwarts." Evelyn waved and leaned back in her chair. Once Draco was gone, Lee spotted her and pulled the twins in her direction. They sat down around the table, conversing about the things they had done in Hogsmeade with no greeting as if they had been sitting there all along. Evelyn smiled, feeling relaxed.

When they returned, the Halloween feast was fantastic. Evelyn brought Jinx down to eat with them, letting him walk across the table. He was getting a bit fat, but that was okay. However, the mood of the night was ruined when they discovered that the Fat Lady was gone, her portrait torn to shreds, and Sirius Black was on the loose at Hogwarts.

* * *

Evelyn was not pleased about everyone staying in the main hall overnight. It meant that she had to wear clothes to sleep in, and the only thing she had was her armor and her wizard robes. She went with her armor. She sat up in her sleeping bag while everyone around her talked about Sirius Black. She was between Hermione and Ginny, who were whispering to each other possible theories on how he got in. Evelyn was annoyed because she couldn't go outside. That was when something got tossed in her lap, something that seemed invisible, and she looked up to see Harry nodding at her. He was letting her use his invisibility cloak. She smiled at him and nodded in thanks.

When she was certain that no one was watching, Evelyn put the cloak on and made her way out of the hall. She broke into a run, her bare feet silent as she went through the halls, until she finally got outside. She ran to the Forbidden forest and sat down at the edge, taking off the cloak and breathing in the night air. She returned the next morning and acted as if she had been there all night. She managed to get Harry's cloak back to him during the next Quidditch practice.

* * *

Snape was on Evelyn's last nerve. Werewolves? Really? She didn't think that a substitute should have any right to give assignments. She was really bitter about the whole thing, and that bitterness showed when she showed up to the Quidditch game, which, by the way, was to be played during a rainstorm. Not that she minded that, but it was cold and her robe clung to her and she knew that it would be impossible to get her ponytail out with wet hair once the game was over. She was even more bitter when she found out that they would be playing Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin, because Draco claimed that his arm prevented him from playing. Evelyn thought it was a load of bullshit. On top of all that, in her haste that morning, she had forgotten to put on her armor under her robe, so she was feeling a bit defenseless.

The game was going well, despite the circumstances. Evelyn was vicious, throwing the quaffle through the hoops again and again. She looked up, seeing Harry and Cedric Diggory going after the snitch at the same time. However, she saw several dementors surrounding them, and she saw Harry fall. She raced towards him, catching him on her own broom before he could fall far enough to hurt himself. He was unconscious. Dumbledore chased off the Dementors. Evelyn had never seen him so furious. It was terrifying.

Diggory caught the snitch, and Hufflepuff won the game. Harry's broom flew into the whomping willow. "Poor kid." Evelyn murmured as she landed with Harry in one arm while the other held her broomstick. They levitated him and took him off to the infirmary.

Evelyn went over to Wood, who was not pleased about losing the game. "Don't worry, Captain, we'll win the next one." She wasn't feeling too positive, but she couldn't leave him with that sour look on his face. Oliver patted her shoulder, "you did well." The water made his hair cling to his face. Evelyn took a moment to think that he looked quite handsome in the rain. She smiled, "so did you. We'll do better the next game." Oliver laughed a bit, confusing Evelyn, and said, "yes. I'm sure we will." He left.

Evelyn went back to the dorm room and dried off. She sat by the fire in the common room, letting out a soft sigh. She was wrapped in a blanket. She stared into the flames, rubbing her eyes. Absolutely exhausted, she fell asleep right there in the chair.


	25. The Blanket

I'm gonna apologize in advance for this one. I'm a total piece of shit and I know it.

* * *

Evelyn woke to find an extra blanket over her, her chair was out of place, and Fred and George sitting across from her. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, looking over at them. George waved a bit, and Fred said, "Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken." Evelyn smiled, "hey, what are you two up to?" George grinned, "aww, you're all sleepy." Then he got a mischievous look. "You'll never guess what happened while you were asleep." Evelyn sat up more. "What? Where did this blanket come from?" The blanket was not hers. It was red and clearly hand-knitted, and had 'NB' sewn fancily into the corner. Fred replied, "oh, that's where it gets interesting."

George began the story. "So we were sitting in the stairwell to our room, just planning out our next prank. Oh, by the way, check this out." They showed her the Marauder's Map. "That's so cool! No wonder you know where to do your pranks." They grinned, then Fred hit George's arm, "go on, keep talking." George grinned. "Anyway, Neville came in, with none other than your precious Oliver Wood." Evelyn frowned, but George kept talking. "They were talking about the game and how furious Dumbledore was. I have no idea why they were together, until Neville thanked Wood for returning his toad. That was when they saw you, asleep in the chair. Poor thing, you were shivering. It was rather cold in here, and you had just played Quidditch in the rain. We were cold too, but we weren't asleep."

Fred cut in there. "Neville went upstairs, and brought down the blanket you have on. He put it over you, and I swear I have never seen the kid smile, like really smile, before then. He complimented Wood on a game well played, and went upstairs." George took over again, grinning. "But it doesn't stop there! Apparently Oliver felt like he was being one-uped or something, so he stoked the fire, and I kid you not, he literally dragged your chair closer to the fire. He ruffled your hair and left."

Evelyn blinked a bit. "That was nice of them." She smiled a bit, "it wouldn't do for me to catch a cold, especially during Quidditch season." Fred blanked, "George, she's utterly oblivious." "Huh?" George nodded, "poor girl." He stood, "well, we're off. We have to set up our next prank." The twins ran out before she could question them. That was when she noticed the chocolate on the table, with a scrap of paper that simply said 'F & G.' She smiled and took it up to her room. She folded Neville's blanket and called him down. "Thank you," she smiled. Neville smiled shyly and hurried back upstairs, blanket in hand.

* * *

Evelyn was furious. She didn't really blame Draco for telling his father about the attack, but that didn't mean she wasn't mad about Buckbeak's trial. It was ridiculous to put an animal with a history of being easily offended on trial for attacking someone very rude. Honestly, the whole thing was infuriating, and Evelyn was more than happy to help Hagrid with his case. She stayed at Hogwarts over Christmas break just for that purpose.

Christmas morning came around and Evelyn wandered down to breakfast in a daze. She had been pretty solitary, since most others had gone home for Christmas, except for Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and she was preoccupied with Hagrid's case. She didn't even realize it was Christmas morning until some owls started flooding her with presents. She smiled despite herself and set her work aside to open them. She got lots of interesting things, including some damn expensive chocolate from Draco. She smiled warmly to herself.

Harry's Firebolt was awesome. Evelyn was glad he had a replacement for his old broom. She understood why it was taken away, but she hoped that he would get it back soon.

When he returned, Oliver seemed to be having the same thought, and pressured McGonagall to give it back. it was quite funny, how he subtly begged. It would almost guarantee their victory in Quidditch that year. However, he went a bit too far when he said that he didn't care about the possibility that Black might have sent it, so long as Harry got the snitch.

When he stormed out of McGonagall's office, she pulled him aside. "Calm down, captain, Harry will get the broom back once McGonagall confirms that it's not jinxed. Have patience." Oliver crossed his arms, "so what? He should be practicing with it. He needs it immediately if we want to win the house cup." His tone was annoyed. Evelyn sighed, "there will be plenty of time for practice later." "Easy for you to say! You've got four years ahead of you, I only have this one last chance to win!" He was shouting at her. "This is the last time I'll be able to play for Gryffindor. If I don't win this time, I never will!" Evelyn frowned a bit, "and that's more important than Harry's safety?" Oliver looked away. "He'll be safe enough. If it is jinxed, we can catch him." Evelyn's frown deepened to a scowl. "You mean I can catch him." "You've done it before. You seem to be good at it. I'm not worried about him." Evelyn tossed her hands up, "I suppose I'll just have to break my arm again to stop a wild broom from _killing_ my teammate! Don't be so selfish, Wood!" She had never called him that before. It was always 'captain,' and the change seemed to get his attention. His anger began to fade. "Evelyn, that isn't what I meant." "Of course not, but you wouldn't be all torn up if it happened, so long as you win your bloody game!" Evelyn took a step back. "You need to get your priorities straight. We _will_ win, but only _after_ Harry's safety is guaranteed." She turned her back on him and walked off down the hall. She headed outside, out across the moor and into the forest, not caring who found her. She didn't like being angry, and with the summer scare of her nearly losing control, she didn't want to be around anyone while she was upset.

Evelyn stumbled upon a small lake, or a large pond, and knelt down in front of it, taking a long drink of the cool water. She let out a long breath and looked up through the tree canopy at the gloomy sky. It always seemed like that, since the Dementors came. Gloomy. Maybe that was what was putting her so on edge. She looked back down at the water, at her own reflection. She noticed some shadows flitting around behind her. She felt sad, guilty, and angry all of a sudden. She looked up to see several Dementors around her, just out of reach. She began to feel afraid. She began to feel week.

She tried to speak, to command them to leave, but one flew close and she could feel the life draining from her. She gasped as it flew away. She fell back, leaning on her hands, as they began to close in on her. "Help..." the word came out weakly. She was trembling. Her eyes began to close, darkness rushing in on her. She laid back on the cool grass, and raindrops began to fall on her face. She felt crushing despair, but she couldn't even cry.

 _Is this what it's like to die?_


	26. The News

Evelyn woke to the smell of chocolate and the sound of many, many whispers. The whispers seemed to drown out everything, even the pounding of her own heart. When she opened her eyes, they fell silent. Jinx meowed softly at her, rubbing his face against her cheek. She smiled a bit, her hand shaking as she stroked him gently.

"You're awake." Oliver Wood was sitting in a chair a few feet away. Evelyn realized she was in the infirmary. She sat up slowly, feeling weak. "Here, eat this." He handed her some chocolate, which she gladly ate. When she finished, she felt better. "What happened?" she asked, rubbing Jinx's soft folded ears. Oliver sighed, he looked guilty. "You were attacked by Dementors. Professor Lupin saved you. When I heard..." He shook his head. Evelyn realized, "don't blame yourself." Oliver raised his head, "why not? It's my fault you ran out there. You-" he sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair. "You're like a little sister to me. I feel I have to protect you, and I'm the reason you got hurt."

Ouch. Talk about friend-zoned.

Evelyn swung her legs around over the side of her bed, "I'm fine, see?" She stood, but stumbled, her legs weak. Oliver jumped to his feet quickly and caught her before she could fall. "No, you're not. Sit back down." She eased herself onto her bed and Oliver sat back in his chair.

"I'm sorry," Oliver said, leaving no room for argument. "I shouldn't be so selfish, and it was wrong to yell at you." Evelyn smiled, "I'm sorry too." Oliver ruffled her hair gently, "let's just forget about this whole thing, okay kid?" Evelyn grinned. "Kid?" Oliver looked away, huffing. "It seemed appropriate." Evelyn laughed, "I haven't been called that since I was three. Kid it is."

Oliver sat up, feeling better about himself. "Harry got his broom back." "Really? That's great!" Oliver tried to look stern, "I expect you to be at practice tomorrow. Madam Pomfrey said you would be fine by then." Evelyn rolled her eyes, "yes sir."

* * *

"He said I'm like a little sister," Evelyn lamented to Ginny. Hermione was too busy studying to talk. Ginny responded, "aww you poor thing. And he called you kid? Ouch." Evelyn sighed, "I knew nothing would come of it anyway. He's almost four years older than me." Ginny nodded and changed the subject, "ready for the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw?" Evelyn nodded, excited. "I'm so excited! We're gonna kick ass."

* * *

The weather was actually nice, so Evelyn could hear all of Lee's comments as he riled up the crowd before the game started. Fred and George were laughing their arses off. Evelyn adjusted her uniform and made sure her broom was at its best.

Evelyn was impressed by Harry's firebolt, and even more so when he cast a patronus a some Dementors before catching the snitch. However, it turned out that those Dementors were actually Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. McGonagall was furious. The Gryffindors headed back and celebrated, and Evelyn ate plenty of chocolate.

Evelyn slipped out that night, passing a large black dog in the hall. She stopped, watching it go by, but it kept going as if she didn't exist. She called out to it, "hey!" It turned its head and huffed at her. She crossed her arms, "what are you doing here?" The dog wagged its tail a bit. Evelyn sighed, "there are better places for puppies. Don't let Filch catch you." The dog wagged its tail more and ran off.

* * *

Evelyn walked alone during the trip to Hogsmeade. She went out into the forest, letting out a deep sigh. She leaned against a tree, then noticed Ron show up, then Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle from another direction. Suddenly, a snowball went flying at Malfoy from seemingly nowhere, hitting him right in the face. Evelyn, knowing that they were unaware of her presence, snorted.

Just then, Harry's head appeared in midair. Evelyn laughed as he and Malfoy raced back to Hogwarts.

However, that joy was short lived. When Evelyn returned to Hogwarts, she found out that Buckbeak was going to be executed.


	27. The Dog

Evelyn went out that night, very upset. She sat in the grass, hugging her knees. "Poor Buckbeak..." She wondered if there was some way she could help him escape. She realized it was hopeless and that Hagrid would be blamed, and that made her feel worse.

Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, wandered up to her, letting out a rusty meow. Evelyn smiled a bit, petting him softly. "Hey buddy." The big black dog from the hall was sitting a few yards away. Crookshanks meowed again, this time at the dog. Evelyn smiled, "a friend of yours?" She held her hand out to the dog. "I don't bite." It walked over and bowed its head to her. She patted it gently, then asked, "who do you belong to anyway?"

"I belong to no one." Suddenly, it wasn't a dog sitting on front of her, it was a man in a black trench coat. Her eyes widened, "you're Sirius Black!" She began to get up, but he called out to her, "wait, please!" She had never heard such a desperate sound. She remained wary, but she didn't run. He began, "yes, that is me, but all of this is a big mistake. You have to help me, young Hunter, no one else will." He explained the situation to her: how Peter Pettigrew had really betrayed the Potters and killed all those people, how he had escaped Azkaban as a dog, and how he was Harry Potter's Godfather. "Yes, I sent him the broom, because I care for him. I want him to be happy." He shook his head and sighed. "You can turn me in now, if you'd like."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Evelyn asked, still guarded, but sympathetic. Sirius thought for a moment, "I'm not sure. It is a whole lot to take on faith, isn't it? The broom wasn't jinxed, so I clearly don't want to harm Harry." Evelyn saw something, just the shell of a desperate man who wanted to help his family. She let her guard down. "Alright. I'll help you. What can I do?" Sirius's stomach growled, and he smiled sheepishly. Evelyn gave him some of the chocolate that she had in her pockets.

* * *

The forest was dark as Evelyn ran, the howling sending a chill down her spine. Why, tonight of all nights, had she forgotten to strap her knife to her thigh? In her arm she had a bundle of cloth that held an array of supplies. She raced towards the shrieking shack.

The past couple of days had been a mess. Evelyn had teamed up with Professor Lupin, a werewolf, to help stop Peter Pettigrew, who was Ron's rat, and to help Sirius Black escape. Now, during the moment of truth, she raced for the Whomping Willow, hoping that she would be on time. The moon was full that night.

Black was out, as were Hermione, Ron, and Harry. What were they doing here? Peter was gone. Lupin was a werewolf, and the instant he caught her scent, he snarled and dove for her. Evelyn leapt out of the way. She dropped the bundle of cloths by Sirius and ran, howling to lure the beast away.

Lupin took the bait and ran after her into the woods, howling and growling and making all sorts of harsh noises. Evelyn darted around trees. She wasn't faster by any means, but she was graceful, and could easily confuse him by darting in different patterns around trees. She saw Harry and Hermione farther into the woods with Buckbeak, which was very confusing since she had just seen them on the ground, but she turned and led the werewolf into another direction.

* * *

The night was long, and Evelyn was exhausted by the time the sun came up. She was bleeding from claw marks and branches, her lungs were burning from running for so long, and she was just all around tired. Lupin changed back to his original form, finally. Evelyn laid down in the leaves, gasping for air. She would have fallen asleep right there if it weren't for Lupin apologizing profusely. Evelyn helped him back to the castle, and she went straight to bed.


	28. The Spider

OOOH Guys we're starting the Goblet of Fire now! I've got big plans for this one!

* * *

Evelyn grinned as a familiar tawny owl flew down, carrying an envelope with her name in beautifully written cursive on it. Over the summer, she had written letters back and forth with Oliver Wood, since they both wanted to stay close after he graduated. She sat down on a stump and opened the letter.

 _Dear Evelyn,_

 _Guess what? I got the first reserve keeper position for Puddlemere United! I'm pretty excited. I hope one day I'll get promoted to the keeper. You could come watch one of my games._

 _Let me know who becomes captain of the Quidditch team for Gryffindor, okay?_

 _Good luck this year, Kid._

 _Oliver Wood_

Evelyn smiled and tucked the letter away with all of the others she had from him. She gave his owl a treat and sat down to write her own letter. It was short, congratulating him on his position and promising to write more once she got to Hogwarts. She sent it back with his owl.

Evelyn took a deep breath of the cool evening air. She had gotten up a bit early, before the sun set, to help Simon sharpen his swords. The task was done, so she went for a walk in the woods.

Evelyn walked until she came across a little grove of trees that sang with magic. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she went to what seemed like a pool right in the middle. She reached out to touch the water, and touched glass instead. She peered into what she now knew was a mirror. At first, she only saw herself, but then the mirror began to change.

Evelyn saw herself in a dark room with her hands and feet bound. Standing behind her was her uncle Einar, and her parents were on either side. Simon and Cole stood with them, and Keeper Sera watched from afar. Evelyn didn't understand, what was this?

She saw all three hug her, then they stabbed her. Evelyn jumped away from the mirror. She whimpered a bit, what was _that?_ She looked at the inscription on the top of the mirror frame. "Erised," she read aloud. She had heard of it. "How is that my greatest desire?" Then she realized. "Oh..." She wanted her family with her, but she wanted to die so she couldn't hurt them. "What an awful mirror."

Evelyn walked away feeling a bit odd. She decided to put it out of her mind.

When Evelyn returned to camp, a small brown owl was whizzing around like a loose firecracker. This was Ron's owl, Pig, given to him by Sirius Black. Once Pig spotted her, he screeched and landed on her shoulder, giving her a small note.

 _Evelyn, come with us to the Quidditch World Cup. Meet up at the Burrow as soon as you can, if you want to come. Give Vivienne my hellos. -Molly Weasley_

Evelyn told her mother and told Keeper Sera what she was up to. She got all of her things and put them in her charmed bag. She hugged Cole and Simon and kissed her father's cheek. She then grabbed Jinx, who was now a certified fatass, and got on her broom, ready to head for the Weasley's.

Evelyn loved flying through the night. The cool air kissed her face and blew her hair back, and Jinx curled up against her stomach, resting on top of her pack to keep it from falling out of Evelyn's arm that cradled the cat. Her other arm held the broom steady. The ride was several hours, since the clan was camped far away, but Evelyn enjoyed every moment.

Evelyn had grown over the summer. She was more like a woman now, and less like a girl. Her mother had told her that she would be swarmed with men in no time. In response to this, Evelyn had been quite flustered and had done the whole "maaaaaa you're embarrassing!" thing, like every young woman did. Evelyn had grown to be quite pretty, though. Her strong, slender form had gained some curves over the summer, and her chest had grown, too, which she didn't like because it was new weight to get used to. It was a lot of change over a few short months, and it would take some adjusting.

Evelyn landed outside the Burrow. It was late at night, the moon was high overhead. Jinx yawned as they landed, stretching on the grass. He let out a meow and purred, sitting down. Evelyn scooped him up and headed to the front door. Jinx, with her bag in his mouth, jumped out of her arms, just as a bucket of icy water poured down on her. She shrieked, jumping away, then heard the twins laughing.

Evelyn's hair clung to her face, water dripping down her skin, she felt frozen. "Fred! George!" She looked up to where they were leaning out their window, laughing. "You look a little cold, Eve!" Fred called out. George snorted, "good thing we didn't get Jinx. He would just sit on us!" Evelyn crossed her arms.

George was the first to stop laughing. "Hey, Eve, you've grown!" Fred grinned, "not bad. I bet Oliver would love to see you now!" Evelyn began climbing up to their window. "Wait, wait! Okay! We're sorry!"

* * *

Evelyn was soon dried and seated at Mrs. Weasley's table, eating some warm stew. Harry sat to her left and Hermione to her right. She smiled as she ate, listening to the loud conversations. This house was so wonderful. Even if Mrs. Weasley was annoyed with the twins for planning on selling practical jokes, she was still warm and welcoming as always.

After dinner, Evelyn was more than glad to help wash the dishes. She washed and rinsed while Mrs. Weasley dried and put them away. Once they were done, Evelyn gave Mrs. Weasley a dress, a gift from Vivienne. Mrs. Weasley was so happy, it made Evelyn feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Evelyn sat on the couch by the fire, petting Jinx absent-mindedly. She was excited to see the match between Ireland and Belgium.

Jinx jumped off of her lap when Fred came down the stairs. She smiled at him, "where's George?" "With the spider," Fred went into the kitchen and came back with a small vial. "The spider?" Fred nodded, grinning. "Yep."

There was a distressed cry from upstairs, and George came running down. "The spider's gone!" "What?" Fred looked distressed as well. The two began frantically searching.

Meanwhile, Jinx sauntered down the stairs with a bit of what seemed to be black fuzz in his mouth. Evelyn raised an eyebrow, "hey fatass, what's in your mouth." He jumped up on her lap and dropped a live spider into her hand. The spider shifted around, running up her arm. She let it crawl on her other hand. "Hey George," she called to the closest twin. "Is this your spider?" George came over, "yeah, that's it. Where was it?" Evelyn laughed a bit, "you were Jinxed." The cat meowed and curled up. Fred came over and took the spider from her, "thanks." He rubbed Jinx's folded ears.

Both twins kissed her cheeks and went back upstairs to complete whatever experiment they were doing.


	29. The Goblet

Everyone was up early the next morning, ready to head off to the Quidditch match. They took the portkey to a field where the Weasleys would set up their tent. Evelyn mainly kept to herself in the campsite. These tents were strange, and all this made her nervous. The game itself was wonderful. Ireland one, but Victor Krum on the other team got the snitch.

The whole dark mark thing was a fright. Evelyn helped get the riots under control. It was no different than leading a town away from an angry creature. After they went back to the Burrow, she was delighted to find that Mrs. Weasley had done all of the shopping for her. "Thank you very much," she smiled warmly.

* * *

Evelyn slept through the train ride, exhausted from all the excitement of the past couple of days. Malfoy woke her when they got to Hogwarts, "come on, Dracaena, don't get left behind." She got up, smoothing her hair, and went to get off the train.

She was thrilled to discover the Tri-Wizard tournament. She wished that she was old enough to participate.

* * *

Seeing Draco turned into a white ferret was one of the best things Evelyn had ever seen.

* * *

Evelyn was nervous. That day in defense against the dark arts, each student was being put under the impirius curse, the mind control curse. No one had been able to fully resist it, and Harry was the only one to get even close to beating it. Evelyn stepped forward for her turn. She took a deep breath, listening to Mad-Eye Moody's suggestions. She watched as he cast the curse on her.

Nothing happened.

Evelyn blinked and looked around, then back at Moody. "Are you going to cast it?" Moody seemed surprised. "I did." He laughed and patted her back. "Well done. You must have a strong mind. And you didn't feel it at all?" "No, sir. Maybe it's because I'm a Hunter." Moody nodded, "perhaps." Class went on. Evelyn felt better knowing that she was immune to such a curse. She doubted she would be so lucky for the other ones.

* * *

Evelyn watched as the students of the other two schools arrived. She was surprised to see the Bulgarian seeker, Viktor Krum, among them. She wasn't interested for too long, though, and quickly got bored.

* * *

That night, Evelyn was walking down the hall on her way outside, when she heard her name whispered behind a door. She stood close to it and listened. "Yes, the Dracaena girl. I know, the goal is Potter, but she's dangerous. I propose-" The voices stopped and footsteps approached the door. Frightened, Evelyn ran.

* * *

Evelyn sat with everyone else while Dumbledore drew the names from the Goblet of Fire. Cedric Diggory would be representing Hogwarts. Evelyn clapped and cheered. However, before Dumbledore could finish talking, the Goblet began to spew again, and two more pieces of parchment floated out. The first had the name Harry Potter on it. The second?

Evelyn Dracaena.

* * *

Sorry this one was short and jumpy. I wanted to get through to the Goblet. Forgive me.


	30. The First

Evelyn nearly choked on her drink when her own name was read. "WHAT?" She was the first to show her surprise. "But I'm not old enough!" However, she was told to go to the room with the rest of the Champions. That whole conversation was confusing, but she got the idea that she would still be competing, as would Harry. When she went back to the common room, she managed to slip away from the celebrations and head to bed, feeling anxious. She was a Hunter, not fit to compete in a wizarding tournament. This was ridiculous! She laid down in bed and pet Jinx. Jinx meowed at her, nomming her hand. "Hey, quit that." He meowed. "Don't sass me." He purred and let her pet him until he was asleep.

Days passed, with photographs, interviews, and many people thinking that Harry had somehow tricked the Goblet into accepting her name. None of them seemed to think Evelyn capable of pulling off such a magical feat, which she wasn't, and she was glad for that, but she did feel bad for Harry.

The night before the first task, Evelyn wrote to Oliver, telling her of her misfortune. She didn't want to participate, because she was worried that all these tasks would be accomplished by magic alone. She was worried that people would think less of her.

Oliver wrote back, congratulating her, telling her this was an opportunity to practice magic.

When Evelyn voiced this to Ernie, he agreed. "Perhaps I can help you this time."

Evelyn didn't get the chance to talk to Draco at all before the competition.

Evelyn also got the sense that someone from one of the other schools was purposefully watching and avoiding her. She wasn't sure why, but every time she saw a pair of striking green eyes with a sunflower in the middle, she could never locate who they belonged to. It bothered her a bit, but she had bigger things to worry about.

The night before, Harry taught her a summoning spell and told her that they were facing dragons. Evelyn grinned, thanking him profusely. She then charmed her armor with Hermione's help to put itself on her whenever she touched it.

* * *

Evelyn took a deep breath as she stood in front of the dragon. "Just get the egg. That's it." She raised her wand and cast a spell to bring her daggers and armor to her.

Harry was the first to get his egg by summoning his broom.

Evelyn tucked her wand away in her pocket. Now, with her blades and armor and no more robe to get in the way, she was in her natural element. She didn't even have to kill the dragon, just steal the egg from it. She walked towards it. It puffed a bit and reared up at her. She darted forward, her armor protecting her from its fiery breath. She scooped the golden egg up out of the nest and ran, jumping onto the tail as it landed. Just as she hand planned, the tail flung her up into the air. She flipped, landing on the dragon's head. She was grinning the whole time, listening to the announcers turning their attention from Harry's victory to her.

Evelyn held onto the dragon's horn, waiting her opportunity. When it paused to inhale, she darted for the exit, golden egg tucked under her arm. However, things didn't go to plan. The dragon's tail slammed into the stone, blocking the entrance. "Well shit," Evelyn darted out of the way of another fiery breath. What was she supposed to do next?

That was the same question the announcers asked.

Evelyn rolled out of the way of a massive claw and ran for the other side of the arena. There was no emergency exit. "Fuck!" She turned on the dragon. She felt that commanding it would be cheating, and commands rarely worked on dragons anyway, they were too close to being godly creatures themselves. Only Keepers could control them, and only the most powerful Keepers could do it for more than five seconds.

Evelyn ran away from more flame. "Shit, shit, shit, what do I do next?" She looked up at the stands, at Dumbledore, and the other professors, maybe for a bit of help. When no help came, she decided that she would have to kill the dragon. She really didn't want to, but she had no other choice. She dropped the golden egg back in the nest and flipped off the tail to the head again (a basic maneuver for assassins, really). She drew her daggers, hanging on for dear life, until the dragon was in just the right position. She drove her daggers into the soft spots behind its ears and the beast fell, dead.

The crowd was silent.

Evelyn left her daggers in its flesh and apologized to the dragon, kneeling in front of it and touching its nose gently. "You are a worthy foe." She then went and got her golden egg. She bowed to the crowd and went over to the collapsed entrance. She began pulling away at the rocks. She crawled through, and completed her first task.

As she walked, Rita Skeeter, that awful reporter who was obsessed with Harry, tried to bother her, but she told her, quite clearly, "fuck off."

* * *

Evelyn partied with the other Gryffindors and soon learned about the screeching of the eggs. She also learned about the Yule ball and fretted over who to ask. The twins were absolutely out of the question, since they only cared about their pranks currently. She considered asking Ernie, but found out he was going with another Ravenclaw. Everyone she thought of was getting a date quickly, and Evelyn grew more nervous as the ball approached. On top of that, she had nothing to wear. The only time Hunters dressed up was for a wedding, and she couldn't wear a wedding dress to a ball such as this.

This dilemma, however, was solved for her by the most surprising person.

Evelyn was walking through the halls one evening after supper, trying to think of someone to ask and how to get a dress. She supposed she could ask Hermione and Ginny where to get a dress, but that didn't solve the date problem, and she had to have one, because the champions had the first dance. She was walking near the dungeons when someone grabbed her arm. "Dracaena." It was Malfoy. Evelyn looked up at him, "Dra- Malfoy." He smiled a bit, "no one is around." She nodded and relaxed.

"What is it, Draco?" Draco cleared his throat. He refused to make eye contact and his cheeks were pink. "You're going to the Yule Ball with me. My mother has already sent you a dress. I tried to tell her that you could get your own, but she insisted." It wasn't a question, it was an order. Evelyn grinned, "that's fantastic! I have no idea where to get a dress, I've never even worn one!" Draco seemed surprised, then relieved. "Good. I would have had to go with Pansy if you weren't available. I was worried you were going to ask someone else." "No one else to ask," Evelyn laughed a bit, then paused. "Draco, I have no idea how normal people dance." Draco raised an eyebrow. "You've never danced?" "Not with people that aren't Hunters, and I'd imagine that our dances are very different than yours." Draco ruffled her hair, "I'll teach you if you'd like."

Draco then asked something that surprised Evelyn. "Have you heard about the other Hunter?" "The what? There's another Hunter?" Draco nodded. "It seems that no one outside his school, Durmstrang, can manage to get close to him, but his classmates like to brag about the Hunter in their midst." Evelyn nodded, "he must be from Rafaela if he is in Durmstrang. I wonder if he'll show himself." She thought of the green and sunflower eyes.

Draco changed the subject. "Meet me in the courtyard at midnight, sharp." Evelyn nodded. She then kissed his cheek, "thank you Draco." She left him blushing there in the middle of the hallway.


	31. The Ball

Don't worry, Fred and George will not be neglected. :3

* * *

Evelyn snuck out of the dorm just before midnight to meet Draco in the courtyard. There was something exciting about it all. Hermione refused to tell who her date was, and Evelyn followed suit. She doubted that anyone would be able to guess that she was going to the dance with Draco Malfoy.

Evelyn stepped into the courtyard with bare feet, because she didn't want to hurt Draco if she stepped on his feet. She wore her wizard robes to simulate a dress. Draco was waiting in his pants and Slytherin sweater. He wore shoes. He turned and smiled a bit at her. Even after four years, it was wonderful to see him smile.

"Let's get started." Draco began by showing her the basic steps, holding her waist and counting as they stepped across the grass. Evelyn stepped on him a few times, but he was surprisingly patient.

Once they got the hang of it and were just dancing together, Draco began to talk quietly. "My mother taught me to dance when I was very young. She let me stand on her feet and we danced around the living room." Draco was smiling, reminiscing. Evelyn giggled softly. "That must have been fun." She rested her head on his shoulder. "My uncle taught me to dance. Hunter dances are very different from this, they're wild and are more like fights than dances, but they're so beautiful to watch, because it's like raw power poured into a mold of dance and shaped into flowing grace. I watched my mother dance when I was very young. It's my first memory, of my mother dancing with my father under the dappling light of the forest canopy."

Evelyn felt Draco's smile before she looked up to see it. "My mother's dancing is beautiful, too." For a moment, they were at peace, until Draco cleared his throat. "Let's go into the more complicated steps." He taught her how to really dance, how to dip and twirl and to get lost in the dance while still remaining composed.

They did that every night for two hours up until the dance. She also got a note that Cole and Simon were coming to the dance, since they would be nearby and the Keeper had encouraged it. Evelyn was beyond excited.

The day of the dance, a young woman that Evelyn didn't recognize came to her in the hall. "Miss Dracaena, I'm here to get you ready for the ball." Evelyn followed her once she was told that this was a servant of the Malfoy family.

Evelyn never thought that getting ready would take nearly all day. But once she was done, she believed that it was completely worth it.

She was stunning. The dress was different shades midnight blue blended perfectly together, and shimmered a bit when she moved. The sleeves were pointed at the end, right over her hands with her nails painted blue. The torso hugged her and flattered her nicely, and the skirt was long and flowing, graceful and sleek at the same time. It was truly beautiful, and made her eyes pop. Her skin was dusted with silver glitter, her makeup was done and her lips were scarlet, her eyes smoky and enchanting. Her black curls were put up in a natural and beautiful look, tumbling over her shoulder on one side while the other was pinned back with a sterling silver rose. She wore a ring that matched the clip, and a silver necklace with a simple pendant that matched her eyes in a set of diamonds. Her shoes were silver heels. She nearly cried when she saw herself. She told the servant, "please, thank Mrs. Malfoy for me, three times over." The servant was beaming as she nodded.

Evelyn was the last champion to enter the hall. She had been genuinely surprised when Hermione went with none other than Victor Krum. Draco stood by Evelyn, and she rested her hand in the crook of his arm. He wore a suit that matched her dress with silver cufflinks. He looked quite handsome. "Are you ready?" He asked. Evelyn nodded. The doors opened, and they entered the hall together.

There were many gasps and whispers, and it was all Evelyn could do to keep her gaze forward instead of down. They got in place and began the first dance.

Evelyn danced gracefully, looking into Draco's eyes the whole time. They were steely gray, like a storm. Evelyn liked them. Just like him, she kept her face neutral for the first dance. She closed her eyes when he dipped her back in sync with the other four pairs, and opened her mouth slightly when she twirled. When the dance finished and she curtsied, she knew that all eyes were either on her or Hermione, who was stunning in her powder pink dress.

Evelyn thought she was done dancing after that, but she was entirely wrong. George, who had no date, came up to her and insisted with a grin that this goddess of the night dance with him. She was happy to. Dancing with him was very different. Draco danced with an elegant grace, while George was a bit freer and more improvised in his movements. Evelyn smiled while she danced with him. He talked about his latest pranks, making Evelyn giggle as he dipped her back.

Before long, George traded places with Fred, dancing with Angelina while Fred danced with Evelyn. Fred's style was a bit faster than George's, but very similar. He told jokes while he danced, making Evelyn laugh while she twirled in his arms.

Just then, a hush fell over the hall. Evelyn finished her dance with Fred and looked towards the doors. Whispers rushed through the hall, but Evelyn wasn't paying attention.

Standing in the doorway were none other than Cole and Simon. Cole had traded his ridiculous sunhat for a sleek manbun which flattered him nicely. He wore a sleek black suit. Evelyn wondered where they had gotten it. Simon had also slicked back his hair and was wearing a white suit that looked great on him. Both looked better than Evelyn had ever seen them. They were speaking with Dumbledore, then Cole spotted Evelyn and abandoned them. A regal smile broke across his face.

Evelyn hugged him tightly. "Cole!" She hugged Simon next. "You two are late!" She huffed. Simon smiled sheepishly, "sorry, Vivienne wouldn't let us go without making sure we looked perfect." Evelyn giggled a bit.

"So this is the infamous Cole and Simon Dracaena," Ernie, looking very smart in his own dusky red suit, smiled. "Ernie MacMillan. A pleasure." He shook their hands. Fred and George greeted them like old friends, and the ball went on.

"So which one of these men is your date?" Simon asked once they were seated. Evelyn motioned to Draco, who sat beside her. "Draco Malfoy. A pleasure." Cole shook his hand, and Simon greeted him heartily, "I remember your name. Evelyn talks about you a lot." Evelyn blushed and smiled a bit. She then danced with Cole and Simon, then let them go with other girls who absolutely had to be able to tell someone that they danced with handsome Hunter boys. Evelyn sat back down, chatting quietly with Draco, Fred, George, and Angelina (Fred's date). A while later, Simon and Cole did too, out of breath and grinning.

Just then, there was a group of people surrounding someone, and Evelyn got a glimpse of green sunflower eyes. Those eyes seemed so familiar, but she couldn't place it. Then, the man to whom they belonged stepped out of a crowd of women begging him not to. Evelyn's eyes widened. She hit her brother, "Cole! Look! That's Vakker Rafaela, the assassin who won first place during the last Hunter games!"

Vakker was best described as a beautiful man. He was tall and lean, with those striking eyes, pale skin, vague muscles, strong jaw, dashing smile, and chocolate brown hair. He wore a forest green suit that suited him nicely (no pun intended). He made his way gracefully over to their table, his eyes meeting Evelyn's. "Miss Dracaena," he greeted with a thick accent, a mix of all the European nations he had lived in. He was a couple of years older than her.

He bowed to her, kissing her hand softly. Evelyn found herself blushing. "Mr. Rafaela, I presume?" He flashed a smile, "yes, that is me." He glanced at Draco, "I'm sure Mr. Malfoy wouldn't mind too much if I asked for a dance?" Malfoy smirked a bit, "I'll have to decline, I don't want to dance with you." Vakker laughed, "I meant Miss Dracaena." Draco wasn't pleased, but he nodded.

Evelyn stood and began to dance with him. At first, they danced in the normal fashion and talked. "You did well, for your first Hunter games. I only got eighth in my first." Evelyn replied cooly, "you won. That is more impressive than sixth, especially for your second." Vakker chuckled, "you are too humble." He spun her around. "I must admit, this change in you is surprising. You are very different than the young girl who took on a man three times her age and skill and crushed him like a fly." "Are you in battle all the time, Mr. Rafaela?" "Please, Vakker is fine."

The song ended, but Vakker didn't let her go. "Perhaps a more traditional dance? Your beauty deserves to shine through, and Malfoy wouldn't do it justice, even if he knew." Evelyn raised an eyebrow, well aware of the eyes on them. "In this dress? Surely not." "How about The Storm, then? I do not believe it requires anything that you cannot do in that dress." Evelyn smiled a bit, she really did want to dance in the Hunter fashion. "There are too many watching," Vakker cut her off. "They will talk of you for ages. Come, please?" Evelyn agreed.

The Storm was a dance that was much like, surprise, a storm. One of the oldest Hunter dances, it had always been one of Evelyn's favourites, because it was so beautifully powerful it took her breath away. The band even knew a song that went along with it, which Evelyn suspected that Vakker had something to do with. The dance itself required much spinning and being tossed in the air and caught again. When they finished, Evelyn was breathless, but she was smiling. Vakker was too, and there was a liveliness that hadn't been there before.

The hall filled with applause, and Evelyn noticed that Simon was clapping the loudest. Vakker said quietly, "perhaps you and I can put aside the rivalry of our clans and become friends?" Evelyn nodded and he kissed her hand. He whispered to her, "try speaking to the egg," before going back to his school. Evelyn sat beside Draco once again.

"Have fun?" Draco sounded a bit bitter. Evelyn rolled her eyes, "are you jealous?" Draco didn't answer, and Evelyn felt guilty. The band played a new song, and Evelyn took Draco's hand. "Dance with me. The ball is almost over, and you _will_ have my last dance of the night."

So they danced. It was graceful and peaceful and fun, even with all of the other people around them. When they faded into the crowd of dancers, Evelyn let a smile come over her face. "You've been seen dancing with a Gryffindor." Draco scoffed, "oh don't start on me now. There's nothing wrong with dancing with a Hunter who is also one of Hogwarts's champions in the Tri-Wizard tournament once or twice." Evelyn rolled her eyes.

The ball ended at midnight, and though Evelyn was sad to go, she would be glad to get out of the shoes, which were hurting her feet. She began to walk down the hall, but Draco caught her hand. He was blushing. Evelyn looked at him expectantly. "You look beautiful in that dress." Evelyn smiled, absolutely glowing about the fact that he had complimented her. "Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself."

Draco stepped closer to her, still holding her hand. "I-..." "What is it?" Evelyn watched as he seemed to be having some sort of internal conflict. He rested his other hand on her cheek and leaned closer. Evelyn blushed and waited, watching his face, his lips, get closer and closer to hers, his eyes holding hers in a trance.

"Oi! Draco!" Crabbe came bustling down the hall. Draco quickly moved away from Evelyn, blushing darkly. "Erm, goodnight." He turned away quickly and went down the hall, shouting at Crabbe for something. Evelyn let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She hurried up to the dorm room, flustered. She found a note on her bed: _Please keep the dress, I heard it looks lovely on you. Thank you for going with Draco tonight. He'll never admit it, but it made him very happy. -Narcissa Malfoy_

It didn't take her long to get out of the dress. She folded it and put it in her chest at the foot of the bed. She was grinning all the while. She wrapped herself in a robe and took off the shoes, then washed the makeup and glitter off of her. She took down her hair and put the clip and the shoes in with the dress. She flopped into bed and quickly fell asleep with Jinx laying on her back. Evelyn smiled, "goodnight, fatass."

* * *

AHAHA I hope you enjoyed the ball!


	32. The Water

Evelyn woke up the next afternoon to see Ginny, Hermione, and several of their friends standing over her. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, "what?" Ginny was the first to speak. "DRACO MALFOY?" Evelyn put her pillow over her head, but the others weren't having that.

So, Evelyn had to sit up, clutching blankets to her bare chest, and explain to a group of girls that she had gone with Draco to the dance only after he asked her, and because she knew his mother and Narcissa had sent her a dress. Ginny was the first to speak again, "wait, he asked you?" "Well, demanded, really. It wasn't a question."

She eventually got out of that conversation and went to the baths, since most of the girls had gone there the night before and it was currently empty. She took her egg and Jinx with her. She settled in the bath with Jinx lounging on the warmed stone nearby. She sighed softly, holding the egg. "Why do you scream so much?"

Jinx meowed softly and knocked the egg out of her hand. She cried out as it fell into the water. She dove after it, but she accidentally opened it. She was surprised when it started to sing.

 _Come seek us where our voices sound,_  
 _We cannot sing above the ground,_  
 _And while you're searching ponder this;_  
 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_  
 _An hour long you'll have to look,_  
 _And to recover what we took,_  
 _But past an hour, the prospect's black,_  
 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

She closed it and popped above water. "Jinx, you're a genius." She gave the fat cat a treat and got out, drying off quickly. She dressed and scooped up Jinx and her egg, going back to the common room. "Merfolk, of course! Probably in the black lake. I wonder what they've taken from me." She tucked the egg in her chest, she still had time before the second task.

Evelyn walked through the hall, feeling triumphant, with her lunch tucked under her arm. That day was a day with Ernie, and she wanted to tell him all about the egg. However, before she could make it, Fred and George stopped her in the hall. They were grinning, as always, but there was something off about them. "Where are you off to?" Fred asked. Evelyn replied, "lunch in the courtyard. I figured out the secret of the egg! I want to tell Ernie about it." George's eyes flashed. "Ernie? Not Draco?"

Evelyn was confused. "What?" Fred crossed his arms. "You've been so cruel to us, making us jealous like that. What if I wanted to go to the ball with you?" Evelyn laughed, this was another prank. "You had a date." "What about me?" George interceded. "You could have asked," Evelyn replied cooly. "I thought you were too busy with your pranks, so I didn't ask."

Fred stepped closer to her, and Evelyn became aware that the hallway was otherwise deserted. His face turned serious, and Evelyn felt a bit nervous. "W-What's wrong with you two? Are you really that upset? Is it because he's a Slytherin?" "It's because it's not us," George stated, his voice rather sharp. Evelyn took a step back and found herself against a wall. "Okay, very funny, pranks over guys."

"We're serious, Evelyn," Fred put one hand on the wall beside her head. "You've hurt us." It was unnerving to see the twins so... Evelyn didn't even know how to describe it. Serious? Intense? Upset, even? "W-Well what do you want me to do about it? It was just a dance?" George placed his hand on the other side of her head. "Was it? That moment in the hall, he was about to kiss you, wasn't he?" Evelyn blushed. "What?!" Fred lifted her chin gently. "And you were about to let him."

Evelyn was feeling something between embarrassment and fear. "What on earth is wrong with you two?" George rolled his eyes, "you haven't figured that out? We're terribly jealous, Eve." Fred added, "maybe we're being selfish, but you don't know what you do to people." Their voices were deeper somehow, and it made Evelyn feel a bit week. Her knees felt like they might give out.

She was saved by a sudden shout of "Evelyn!" that made her jump and made the twins back away quickly. They smiled again, putting on their usual grins. "Got you!" They acted as if it was a prank, but Evelyn was well aware that it wasn't. As Ernie came around the corner, the two said, "we'll see you later," and headed off down the hall.

"Goodness, Eve, you look white as a sheet!" Ernie came over to her, looking worried. "Did they scare you?" Evelyn shook her head a bit, "no, sorry I'm late." She composed herself, then smiled. "Guess what. I cracked the egg!" (that pun was absolutely intentional)

* * *

Evelyn stood on the edge of the cold water with the other champions, ready to go. The others all had some sort of trick for breathing underwater, and Evelyn did too. She was anxious about using it, since it was very uncomfortable, but if she wanted to keep her first-place status, she had to do it. So, when the signal went off for them to start, she dove into the water, swam ahead strongly, still holding her breath, then spoke in the hunter language, "teserath!" commanding herself, quite literally, "breathe!" Suddenly, water rushed into her lungs. It hurt, very much, but she wasn't drowning. After a moment to catch her breath, she began swimming as naturally as a fish.

Evelyn ran into some creatures underwater called Grindylows, which slowed her down a lot. When she shook them off, she was the third one there. Harry seemed to be waiting for something. Evelyn realized that the things taken from them had been people that were precious to them. She looked down the row of people, and saw who must have been her own. It wasn't who she expected at all.

It was Cole, and he was the only one who was awake and struggling. Of course, the charms to keep them safe wouldn't last as long on Hunters. Evelyn swam over, frantically untying him. He was panicking, he never could swim and water terrified him, which was weird for a trainer since some creatures they worked with lived underwater. Evelyn jerked him free and brought him to the surface, taking a deep breath before she burst into the air. She held that breath as she dragged him onto the dock. He was coughing up lungfuls of water. Evelyn began coughing too, clearing her lungs, then she commanded to herself under her breath "teserath." Suddenly, air felt natural again, and she was coughing up the last of the water.

"Cole, are you alright?" Evelyn helped him to sit up and breathe. Cole nodded, trembling like a leaf. "F-fine... oh gods... why water... why is it always water?" Evelyn hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Cole." "It's not your fault."

Evelyn was now in a three-way tie for first place with Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter. As she sat in the infirmary with her brother while Simon talked to him to calm him down, she wondered how much worse the last trial would be. Surely nothing could be worse that knowing her brother was in a prolonged state of terror because of her?

She didn't know how wrong she was.


	33. The Maze

"A maze..." Evelyn sat by the fire with Jinx sprawled across her lap, thinking about the final task. She was lost in her thoughts, and didn't notice anyone come in until both of her cheeks were kissed at once. She blinked and looked up to see Fred and George grinning at her. "Guess what we did!" Evelyn smiled, though she had been watching them more closely since the incident in the hallway. "What did you do this time?" They snickered, and Fred answered, "we put Mrs. Norris in a sweater and set her loose in Snape's office."

Evelyn began laughing at the idea. "Are you serious? Snape will skin you alive!" "It's worth it!"

* * *

Evelyn was fed up with those damned blast-ended skrewts. She was also rather pissed that she couldn't have her knives or armor in the maze, so she was left with the magic she knew to defend herself while she looked for the cup. She stunned another skrewt and ran down the maze, hoping that this would all be over soon. Something odd was going on, because Harry seemed to be shaken up before the race began, but of course, no one told Evelyn what it was.

Evelyn stopped when she ran across a sphinx. She listened to its riddle, then began to think. She didn't know the answer, and didn't want to fight with a sphinx without her gear, so she bowed her head and moved on.

Next she ran into a boggart, which took the form of a woman shrouded in black flame with red eyes and a wicked grin. She was terrified, but she got a hold of herslef and shouted "riddikulus!" She moved past the boggart.

Evelyn turned a corner, finally seeing the cup. However, she wasn't the first to get to it. Harry and Cedric reached for it at the same time. Evelyn frowned, "oh hell no, no way am I gonna lose now!"

* * *

I know this one is reeeeally short but just bear with me, you'll miss this sweetness when its gone.


	34. The Curse

Evelyn raced for the Goblet, determined to reach it before the other two touched it. However, she stumbled over one of those blasted vines. The other two grabbed it first, but her fingers grasped it just before all three disappeared. However, Evelyn's fingers slipped just before they landed, and she landed hard on a large flat rock, a tomb, and was momentarily winded.

She didn't know how long she laid there, but a flash of green light brought her back to her senses. She sat up, looking around her. She was in a dark, gloomy graveyard. "I don't remember anything about this..." She peered over a tombstone, to see a sight that shocked her. Cedric Diggory laid dead on the ground, his eyes still wide with fear and his mouth open in a silent scream. Beyond that, Harry was tied to a tombstone, with a bundle of blankets writhing in front of him, a cauldron in front of that, and a cloaked figure tossing his own arm into the cauldron in front of that. Evelyn was very confused. She caught her breath, her head ringing, and watched as the cloaked figure, which she soon recognized as Wormtail, cut Harry's arm and let some blood drip into the cauldron. Wormtail then set the writhing bundle of cloth in the cauldron.

Out of the fog that poured from the cauldron rose a figure in black with a bald head, gray skin, and... no nose? No, with two slits for a nose. Evelyn watched as the... thing... began to reach for Harry. Harry cried out in pain, then stopped when the man stepped away. Evelyn was too far away to hear, but she watched, concerned, as the man began to pace around, talking. Gradually, people in black cloaks began to appear, forming a circle around them.

Wormtail untied Harry, and Evelyn heard the strange man shout "I will now kill Harry Potter to prove my power, with no Dumbledore or Mother here to protect him." Voldemort then casted a curse on Harry, who began screaming. He stopped it, and Wormtail gave Harry his wand back. Apparently this was supposed to be like a wizarding duel. The man cast the torture curse on Harry again, then demanded obedience. Harry dodged another curse by hiding behind a tombstone. Evelyn decided it was time to step in. Dazed, she stumbled over the tombstone, ran at the man, and did the first thing that came to her mind. She drop-kicked him before he could cast another curse. She gripped her wand and stood. "Harry, who is this?" She swayed a bit, still woozy from the portkey and from her harsh landing. Her head was bleeding a bit. Harry managed to stutter, "you just drop-kicked Lord Voldemort."

"This is Voldemort? Ha! Why doesn't he have a nose? What's wrong with him?" Evelyn laughed a bit. "He was knocked over awfully easily." However, she soon choked on her words, because Voldemort cast the torture spell on her. She had never felt such pain. She collapsed to the ground, whimpering.

Harry emerged from behind the tombstone. "Leave her alone! If I will die, I will die upright like my father!" The spell on Evelyn stopped and she started to sit up, but the spell, different this time, was cast on her again. She looked up to see none other than Lucius Malfoy standing over her.

Evelyn managed to contain her pain by focusing on Harry intently as a beam of light shot from his wand and collided with the curse from Voldemort's. She could see ghosts, and suddenly, the light stopped. The ghosts flooded Voldemort. Evelyn reached out and grabbed Voldemort's leg, letting Harry drag Cedric's body to the portkey. She raised her own wand, but another curse flew at her hand, and it was flung across the graveyard. It disappeared with Harry. The ghosts vanished.

The torture curse on her vanished again, and Voldemort turned on her as she began to sit up. His voice was dangerously calm. "You, the young Hunter, fought so bravely only to die now, unless you join me." Lucius's voice reached her ears. "Do it. Think of what you could accomplish, Evelyn. With your power, we will be great once more." "You will be feared once more!" Evelyn shouted, then spat at Voldemort. "I'd rather die. I do not fear death." A wicked grin passed over Voldemort's face. "You will not get the pleasure of dying, young one. You will pay for your defiance. You will beg for death. You will know _pain._ "

 _Crucio._

Many voices said the words in unison, then the world flashed white and red as blinding pain ripped through Evelyn. She couldn't hear her own screams, couldn't feel her own body writhing, couldn't see all the Death Eaters pointing their wands and casting the same curse at her, all at the same time.

* * *

After Cedric's body had been removed, after Harry had been taken to the infirmary, no one had the guts to touch the lone wand sitting in the grass in the middle of the field. Harry's dazed explanation had left one question on everyone's mind. _Where is Dracaena?_ Simon and Cole had sent for Keeper Sera, because she could call Evelyn back, she could help, but Dumbledore got there first, looking almost afraid. Only those standing closest were able to hear his words as he bent down to pick up the wand. "She is still with the Dark Lord." A murmur spread through the crowd, _The Dark Lord?_ _Surely he didn't mean..._ No one dared to say the name Voldemort, but everyone thought it.

Dumbledore held her wand in his hand, then he began chanting to himself. The wand began to glow, and something began to happen.

* * *

Pain, blinding, unending, unbearable pain was all that Evelyn was aware of. Hours, minutes, seconds, days, who knew? Her bones were on fire, her flesh was melting, it was worse than any dragonfire burn would have been, but that wasn't all. She was seeing things. She could see Einar dying, she could see her parents burning, she could see them all being slaughtered, she could see one twin crouched over the other's corpse, Draco's mother cradling his still form, Mrs. Weasley grieving, Vivienne screaming, black flame consuming everything around her, and it never ended.

Evelyn could taste blood, could feel it like acid on her skin, the stench choked her, it was all she could see. She was aware of being moved, then she was aware of hitting the ground hard, and grass drinking up her blood like sweet wine. She could hear Dumbledore's voice, "return!" and the visions lessened, only coming every few seconds, and she could see, vaguely, when they weren't upon her. The pain did not stop, it only grew worse. She could hear her own screaming now, a sound of pure agony, begging for death, begging for mercy and finding none.

 _Her father being torn to bits by some creature that was too blurry to recognize._

Dumbledore was speaking to her, then speaking some spell, but it wasn't working. Cries of the names of professors who might be able to help rang out.

 _Simon stepping in front of a plume of dragon flame to protect her, his smile burned away, his bones turned to dust._

Madam Pomfrey was trying to cast a spell, but she looked frustrated and scared. It wasn't working. The pain got worse.

 _Cole begging, pleading for his own life, on his knees in front of her, her own hands, shrouded in black flame, tearing him in two, his last look one of sorrow, of betrayal, of pain._

Simon shoving someone out of the way to get to her, cradling her while Cole held her hands to keep her from clawing her own skin off, frantically saying the Hunter word for stop, _Caravel,_ but it wasn't working.

 _Keeper Sera's last look of disappointment before receiving a sword right through her neck, nailing her to the tree behind her._

"Keeper Sera will come."

 _Ernie hugging her, Oliver ruffling her hair, both looking like they were about to lose something dear. Neville stood in front of them with the sword of Godric Gryffindor raised to strike._

Unrelenting agony. Evelyn was aware of being in the infirmary, but the pain was getting worse in pangs. She couldn't hear her own screaming. Minutes, hours, days, she was painfully aware of the ticking of the clock.

 _Fred was gone. George was alone. He held her hand, kissing her fingers, "don't leave me alone." But she had already left._

Simon held her down, to keep her from hurting herself. The pained look on his face was enough to kill.

 _Draco lifted her off the ground, "Evelyn," his voice was soft, trembling, crying. "It's over. Come back to us. We won." But Evelyn could never come back. She was gone._

Keeper Sera leaned over her, chanting softly, Dumbledore's hand on her shoulder. She looked right into Evelyn's eyes, piercing through the haze, Sera's own eyes fully black, "Caravel." The voice resonated, commanding the very essence of power itself.

 _Black._

It was dark. The screaming stopped. The visions faded. The pain was but a memory in this consuming abyss. Evelyn could still taste blood.


	35. The Days

Evelyn was aware of Keeper Sera's voice. She had never been so mad. "I trusted you, Headmaster, to keep our young assassin safe from outside forces, as she kept you safe from those inside your dungeons. That was our deal. Yet, I come here to find her under the effect of NINE TORTURE CURSES AT ONCE, cast by Dark Wizards that you call Death Eaters. Surely you understand my fury." The silence that followed was deafening. Evelyn dragged herself into consciousness. Dumbledore's voice broke the silence. "Keeper, I understand completely, but I ask you to remember that we were betrayed by the darkest force known-" "to your kind, yes." Keeper Sera cut him off. "I understand. However, there must have been some way that you could protect your students from such forces, or perhaps your Ministry could add some protection to their games? Our Hunter games are well-warded, and whenever someone begins to lose control, though rare, we know immediately and put a stop to it." A new voice, one Evelyn didn't recognize, arose. "Madam, were we aware that we had been betrayed-" she cut this one off too. "No one is ever truly aware of betrayal until it manifests into action, Minister, but that does not mean we cannot be prepared for it. This is inexcusable, and I plan on-" Cole's voice, much closer to Evelyn, interrupted, "she's waking up!"

Evelyn groaned softly. Her entire body ached, her head was pounding, and her ears were ringing. She slowly opened her eyes and winced. The room was dim, but any light seemed too bright. Her body trembled lightly, and she was aware of feeling both hot and cold at the same time. "Evelyn," Simon touched her hand. His touch was like ice on a burn. It stung a bit, but it was soothing. She looked around her slowly, her vision pulsing in and out of focus with the throbbing of her head. Cole picked her hand up, she turned her head. "Evelyn, I'm sorry. I failed."

"No, you didn't." Keeper Sera stood behind Cole. "It's alright." She left it unspoken, but the meaning was clear enough. _If she dies, it isn't your fault._ She rested her hand on Cole's shoulder. "I need to be getting back." Cole nodded, "I'll stay, at least until she's better." "I will too," Simon began, but the Keeper shook her head. "I know your pain, Simon, but the clan needs you." Simon stood, "send me letters, Cole. Let me know how she fares." Cole nodded. Simon and the Keeper left.

Evelyn tried to talk, but Cole shushed her. "You need to rest. Here, drink this," he helped her swallow a thick potion that took the edge off of the burn in her throat. The ache faded a bit. "Cole," she croaked. Her voice was raw from screaming for so long. "Yes?" He stroked her hair gently. "How long?" Cole was silent for a moment. "You were cursed for four days. The screaming was awful, they had to put a silencing charm around you so the others that were injured could recover. You've been asleep for five days."

Evelyn slipped back into unconsciousness before she could ask anything else.

* * *

When she woke again, it was to Fred and George saying her name. They were holding her hands. She opened her eyes. Fred gasped, "she's awake." George brushed his fingers across her cheek. "God, Eve, you look awful." He smiled as he said it. Evelyn managed to smile back.

Cole shooed them away and helped her to drink another of those potions. They lingered, unwilling to leave. Evelyn began to cough, groaning in pain. Cole rolled her onto her side and helped her to cough into a bucket. Blood soon coated the bottom. Evelyn fell unconscious again.

Days passed, with Evelyn fading in and out of consciousness. Many people came to visit her. She was aware of Ernie reading to her in the evenings, struggling to keep his voice from trembling. He always held her hand the whole time. When she tried to talk to him, he squeezed gently. She gathered that he was reading The Call of the Wild by Jack London. She remembered that it was his favourite book, and she had always wanted to read it since he had first mentioned it to her, three years before.

Draco came to her during the night, when Cole was asleep and no one else was there. She could sometimes talk to him, mostly just saying his name, and he always said the same thing back, but she could never make out what it was, since he whispered.

The twins visited often, as much as they could between classes and during lunch. They talked to her as if she was awake and answering them. It was soothing, even if she had no idea what they were saying.

Madam Pomfrey was always there, checking on her and helping her to drink the potion. She always talked as if Evelyn was answering, as well, asking how she was feeling and saying that she was getting better every day. Evelyn knew she was lying.

Neville visited twice, both times in the morning before breakfast. The first time he cried. The second, he read a poem to her and told her about how worried everyone was. Evelyn had reached out to him the second time, but she had lost consciousness before he could grab her hand. She never knew it, but he cried the second time, too.

Harry always looked guilty when he visited every other afternoon, and Hermione and Ron were there to assure him that it wasn't his fault. He didn't believe them.

Dumbledore even visited once with McGonagall, who visited once every day right before supper, seemingly for news from Madam Pomfrey. Dumbledore cast a spell over Evelyn, though she didn't know what it was. It made her feel more relaxed, and made the pounding in her head fade to a dull throb. A new person entered then, Dumbledore said something about Saint Mungo's, and the person examined Evelyn. Whatever news she gave them seemed to dishearten the Madam, Professor, and Headmaster. Cole began to cry before Evelyn faded out again. She had never seen Cole cry.

As far as Evelyn could tell, another week passed before she finally got a firm hold on her consciousness. Her eyes opened and her vision was clear. It was night, and Draco was sitting beside her, holding her hand and staring at her fingers fixedly. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn't been sleeping well. Cole was sleeping in the bed on the other side of him.

Evelyn shifted a bit, "Draco." Her voice was raspy, but it didn't hurt nearly as much. Draco looked up, tears glistening in his eyes. "Evelyn." She managed to smile at him. He seemed to realize that she was actually awake this time, and his eyes widened. "Evelyn, you're awake." Evelyn could only nod slightly. She felt extremely weak and could barely twitch her fingers. Draco grinned, "you're really awake. The doctor from Saint Mungo's, she said you wouldn't!" He got out of his chair, letting her hand go. He woke Cole, who was surprised to see him and disgruntled about being disturbed, until he heard that Evelyn was awake. He was out of bed like a bullet. "Eve!" He leaned over her, holding her face. "Cole." Her voice was weak.

"Get Madam Pomfrey." Cole ordered Draco, who ran out. Cole grinned at Evelyn, "you're finally awake." He kissed her forehead and helped her drink another of those potions. Evelyn could barely taste it around the constant taste of blood that plagued her, but she could somewhat tell that it tasted like honey and mint.

Madam Pomfrey rushed in with Draco hot on her heels. She examined Evelyn, "it's good to see you remain with the living, dear." She gave Evelyn a new potion. It was extremely bitter and made Evelyn wrinkle her nose, but she swallowed it all. The Madam smiled, seemingly on the verge of tears herself. Evelyn was wide awake, so she turned to look at Cole and Draco again. She was worried about Draco. "Sleep," she managed to say. The Madam clicked her tongue, "she's right, Draco. You need some rest. How about I give you a sleeping draught? You can say here for tonight, if you'd like." Draco nodded, his exhaustion hitting him like a wave now that he knew Evelyn would be alright. He turned to Evelyn and kissed her forehead tenderly. He drank the draught and went to sleep on the bed beside Evelyn's, on the opposite side from Cole's. Madam Pomfrey said, "I'm going to go inform Professor McGonagall. Keep her awake, Cole, for as long as you can." She bustled out.

Cole began to talk to Evelyn. "You've been out for fourteen days, Evelyn." Evelyn frowned, that was three days that she was completely unaware of. "The doctor from Saint Mungo's said that you would sleep for longer and longer periods, just barely coming back into consciousness like you had been, until you just didn't wake up. She said your body was too damaged to heal itself." Evelyn held his hand. Cole smiled, "I'm glad she was wrong." He kissed her hand. "What would I do without you, precious sister?" Evelyn squeezed his hand with as much strength as she could muster, which wasn't much. Cole rested his fingers on her cheek, "you've given everyone an awful fright. We're worried sick." Evelyn croaked out, "sorry." Cole grinned, nearly crying with joy. "God, I thought I was going to watch you die right in front of me." Evelyn reached up and rested her hand on his face for a few seconds before it fell again.

Professor McGonagall burst in, rushing over in her nightgown. Evelyn grinned weakly, she would have laughed if she were able. McGonagall smiled in that way of hers, "oh, you're awake! I'm so glad. Malfoy can finally get some sleep, and perhaps the twins will play a few pranks again." Evelyn smiled at her.

Dumbledore soon showed up as well, in his nightgown and long hat. Evelyn giggled a bit, then stopped when it hurt her lungs. Dumbledore smiled and patted her head before heading back to bed. McGonagall soon followed after a quiet conversation with Madam Pomfrey. She said something about the Weasley twins, and Madam Pomfrey nodded.

Cole helped Evelyn drink another honey-mint potion. Evelyn shifted again, feeling uncomfortable. "Sit," she said. Cole looked skeptical, but when Madam Pomfrey nodded, he propped her up with a few pillows. Her head spun at first, but that was natural after laying down for so long. She leaned back and let out a deep breath, her lungs feeling clearer. "Better." Cole smiled and said, "Ernie read to you every evening." Evelyn smiled. "Call of the Wild." Cole seemed surprised. "You remember?" Evelyn nodded, "a week." Cole sighed, "three days that you didn't know about. I knew you had woken a couple of times, but if you were aware of seven days, you're doing better than we thought." Evelyn said between breaths, "Draco... twins... Ernie... Neville... Madam... Harry... and Ron... and Hermione... McGonagall and... Dumbledore... you." She was out of breath by the time she had said all that. Cole smiled, "you remember all that? Do you remember the letter?" Evelyn tilted her head.

Cole pulled an envelope out of his pocket. It had her name written in beautiful cursive on the front. Cole pulled out the paper inside. A few tears splotched it, but everything was legible. Evelyn's smile grew as Cole read the letter aloud to her.

 _Dear Evelyn,_

 _I heard what happened. I don't know how bad it is, or even if this letter will reach you in time, but I can't not write to you. When you told be about the Tournament, I never would have imagined that this would happen. I wish I could be there, I wish I could see you again, but I have to play in the Quidditch tournament tomorrow, since the other Keeper quit. Wish me luck. I'll be wearing the ring you gave me for my birthday this summer on a necklace, since we're not allowed to wear rings on our fingers._

 _I hope... this is grim, but I hope you live to read this. I don't know what to write to someone who I've been told is dying, other than don't die. I'd miss you too much. Who else would I write letters to?_ (a particularly large tear fell onto the page at the end of this sentence)

 _Get better soon, Kid. Congrats on saving Harry. You're in the papers. I sent a clipping of your headline. I hope you get the chance to read it._

 _Oliver Wood_

Evelyn was nearly crying by the time Cole finished. Cole smiled at her, "I could write him back and tell him you're going to be fine." Evelyn nodded. Cole handed her the newspaper clipping. A moving picture of her, just before the maze, was on the page, with the headline above it reading:

THE BOY WHO LIVED, LIVES AGAIN: SURVIVED DEATH EATER ATTACK, SAVED BY A YOUNG HUNTER AND FELLOW COMPETITOR IN TRI-WIZARD TOURNAMENT

Evelyn snorted at how ridiculous the whole thing was. She was about to attempt to speak again when Fred and George burst into the room in their pajamas with McGonagall right behind them. They ran over to her, crying out her name and grabbing her hands. "You're awake!" "For real this time!" The two hugged her. She attempted to hug back, but she was too weak.

"Alright boys, you've seen for yourself that she's fine, now go back to bed." The twins kissed her cheeks and left, grinning while they went. Evelyn realized that they were still mostly asleep.

Evelyn smiled. Cole laid back down, "I should be getting back to sleep. Don't die on me, okay?" Evelyn shook her head and leaned her head back. She fell back asleep, this time peacefully.


	36. The Dance

McGonagall smiled as she stood in front of the students at breakfast, which made them all nervous until she gave the news. "You all know the situation with Miss Dracaena. I am pleased to inform you that as of last night, she has awoken. Now, you aren't to go rushing in to bother her, she still has to recover. This goes to show that there is strength against the Dark Lord and his servants, and that there is always hope." The hall erupted in cheers. A sick student was nothing new, but one, a well-loved student, that had saved the boy who lived during the Tri-Wizard Tournament that had been mostly dead for two weeks after being cursed by Lord Voldemort? That was something to celebrate.

* * *

Evelyn awoke to being rudely shaken. "Evelyn! Evelyn!" She scowled and opened her eyes to Cole, who was frantically trying to wake her. He breathed a huge sigh of relief, "I thought you had left me again." Evelyn rubbed her eyes. Her back hurt from sleeping while sitting up. Well, everything hurt, but her back hurt more.

Draco was gone from the bed beside her.

Cole gave her another potion and brushed her hair gently. Evelyn smiled when he did this, it felt so nice. He washed her face with a cool cloth. She glanced out the window. Dawn was stretching her pale fingers over the morning sky. Madam Pomfrey wandered over, checking on Evelyn. "Are you hungry?" Evelyn nodded, suddenly aware of the gnawing ache in her stomach. Of course, she hadn't eaten in two weeks, so she was quite literally starving. She could only imagine how she looked.

Evelyn first drank the water that was offered to her, then she began to nibble at the soft bread and butter, with the crust removed, that was fed to her by Cole. Once finished, she felt much better and tried to talk. "Thank you." Her voice was still scratchy and it still hurt, but she didn't feel so breathless.

Neville was the first to visit, along with Luna Lovegood. He sat down beside her, grinning. "McGonagall told everyone the news this morning. Everyone is glad you're awake." Evelyn didn't think she was worth all that attention, but Neville insisted that she was. He looked down, "you screamed for four days. They put a charm around you so the injured could rest, but I could still see you. That kind of pain..." He began crying. "My parents..." He took a shaky breath. "My parents were tortured by that same curse, and they've been put in Saint Mungo's for the rest of their lives because they're completely empty." Evelyn reached out to him weakly. He caught her hand before it fell. "With Cedric dead and Harry nearly out of his mind, we were all in a state of shock, but then Dumbledore brought you through, and you wouldn't stop screaming and struggling. They said you had nine curses over you at once." Evelyn squeezed his hand. "Neville..." He was crying. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, "then they said you wouldn't wake up. I couldn't bring myself to visit after the second time..." Evelyn pulled on him a bit, getting his attention. "Poem?" Neville tilted his head, then realized, "oh, the poem I read you?" He smiled sheepishly. "I read you a poem my mama used to read to me when I was sick." Evelyn didn't question him further.

Luna was writing in a notebook. She looked up, "I'm taking notes for the Quibbler." She asked with a serious face in that far-away voice of hers, "did you really drop-kick you-know-who?" Evelyn smiled a bit and nodded. "Didn't know," she breathed, "who he was." Luna nodded and wrote something.

Fred and George visited next. They brought her chocolate. They fed it to her, one piece at a time. It was the kind that had melted chocolate in the middle and was easy to chew. She smiled warmly and thanked them both.

"You look like a skeleton, Eve," Fred joked in a soft voice. There was a great sadness behind his smile. "If I hold your hand too much, will it dissolve?" Evelyn squeezed his hand gently. George tried to make the conversation normal, "Harry won the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Well, he tied for it, but Cedric..." The effort failed. Evelyn let out a shaky sigh.

"Dumbledore wants to question you, as does that Skeeter woman, but Madam Pomfrey wont let Skeeter past the doors, and Cole wards off anyone else." Fred smiled a bit. "Your brother is an interesting character." Evelyn nodded, but her mind was still on Cedric. She hadn't been aware enough to save him. She felt horribly guilty.

Cole wandered over. "Excuse me, Fred, George," he clearly didn't know which was which. "I have a favour to ask." The twins nodded. Cole gave Evelyn the honey-mint potion and began talking. "I'd like to know if Mrs. Weasley would be kind enough to house Evelyn over the summer. She can't stay here, and she certainly can't return to clan life in this state, and I refuse to send her to your wizarding hospital, Saint Mungus or whatever. Could you ask her for me? I don't know her well enough to do it myself." The two answered immediately, "of course!" They kissed Evelyn's cheeks, "we have to go to class now. We'll send an owl right after." They left the infirmary.

Evelyn slept through the day, only waking to take the potion and to eat some chocolate pudding in the afternoon. That evening, she awoke to Cole gently waking her, with Ernie standing behind him, a book tucked under his arm. Evelyn smiled and held out her hand to him. He was grinning. "You're awake. You're finally awake." Ernie took her hand and sat down in a chair. "I suppose you can't talk much yet. I've been reading to you, while you've been here." Evelyn nodded. Ernie opened his book with his free hand. "Can I read to you some more?" "Please." Ernie cleared his throat and began to read. Evelyn watched his face as he read.

"But especially he loved to run in the dim twilight of the summer midnights, listening to the subdued and sleepy murmurs of the forest, reading signs and sounds as a man may read a book, and seeking for the mysterious something that called - called, waking or sleeping, at all times, for him to come." Ernie took a breath, ready to read the next line, but the door opened just then, and Draco Malfoy himself walked in. He seemed surprised to see Ernie there, then checked the grandfather clock by the hearth. "Oh, apologies." Ernie shook his head, "feel free to join us." Draco sat down beside Ernie, seemingly stiff. Ernie smiled a bit, "relax, Malfoy, I wont tell anyone that you have a heart." Draco scoffed, but he relaxed a bit.

Ernie continued to read, squeezing Evelyn's hand every so often, as if afraid that he would lose her forever if he let go. Evelyn began to feel thirsty, and her mouth felt dry. When Ernie paused to take a breath, she asked "water..." Draco got up and got a glass of water, holding it to her lips and tilting it so she could drink. "Thanks." She smiled and he nodded, sitting back down.

Ernie finished the chapter. He stood and kissed Evelyn's hand. "I'll be back tomorrow. Make sure you're here when I come." Evelyn smiled and nodded and watched him go. She then looked at Draco, who was staring out the window. "Draco." He turned to look at her, his steely grey gaze softening. Evelyn smiled a bit. "Dance?" Draco chuckled and shook his head, "you cant dance. You cant even sit up on your own."

(If you've ever seen the movie The Christmas Shoes, I'm so sorry)

Evelyn looked away. She knew that, of course, but she had a strong urge to feel the same way she felt at the ball, graceful and powerful and beautiful, even though she was so weak. Draco stood suddenly, and removed the blanket from over her legs. He bowed to her and asked, "may I have this dance?" She nodded, wondering what he was going to do.

Draco picked her up, bridal style. She put her arms around his neck. He began doing the simple dance steps with her in his arms, smiling softly as he rested his forehead against hers. He swayed and stepped around to some unheard music, looking into her eyes as he danced. Evelyn couldn't stop a wide smile from spreading across her face.

"Thank you."

* * *

I know I've been focusing a lot on Malfoy lately, but worry not, the twins will get lots of love, too.


	37. The Steps

Evelyn had been stuck in the same place for two weeks, and she was about to lose her mind. She was still very weak, and couldn't sit up on her own, but at least she could eat and talk normally again.

Mrs. Weasley had agreed happily to take care of Evelyn over the summer, so at least Evelyn had somewhere to go. However, there was still another three days before school ended, and Evelyn had no idea how she was even going to get to the Burrow. Several suggestions had been made, including the idea that she was carried onto the train, but she had dismissed it because that would be extremely difficult and very uncomfortable. However, at the moment, it seemed to be the only viable option.

That is, until Cole woke up in the middle of the night from a dream. "Abraxan!" Evelyn turned her head to look over at him. Draco looked up from the book he was reading. They had been sitting in a peaceful silence. "What?" Evelyn spoke first. Cole sat up in bed, grinning. "Why didn't I think of it before? You cant use the winged horses here because they're too small, but Abraxans are large enough to carry us both comfortably! There are still several here from the tournament, I'm sure Madam Maxine wouldn't mind if I borrowed one." He got out of bed, "I'll send an owl right away! They wont be available for much longer." Evelyn smiled as he hurried out of the infirmary.

Draco closed his book. "Are all Hunters this... eccentric?" Evelyn laughed lightly, "only when they get excited." She breathed out a sigh. "I'm glad I wont have to ride the train back." Draco scoffed, "those twins are insufferable." Evelyn rolled her eyes playfully, "they're not that bad." Draco shrugged, "they're Weasleys. You deserve better." Evelyn let him be bitter.

A few minutes later Cole came back. "I've sent the owl. We'll know by morning if we can use the horses." Evelyn shifted in bed, "but I can't sit up, how am I supposed to ride an Abraxan?" Cole laughed, "silly, I'll be riding with you."

Evelyn shifted, "I want to get up." Both boys looked at her as if she were crazy. Draco spoke first, "you can't even sit up on your own, and you want to _stand_?" Evelyn smiled, "I want to walk. I'm tired of this bed." Cole shook his head, "no. You need to rest." Evelyn groaned, "I'm going to have to work so hard to get back into shape." Draco shook his head, "once your body recovers, you should be back to normal." Evelyn didn't feel so hopeful.

* * *

A week later, Evelyn found herself being lifted onto the back of one of the massive Abraxan horses and into her brother's firm hold. "Alright, I've got you." She was able to somewhat hold herself up after a week, but she couldn't do it for long, so she let herself lean on Cole as they took off, heading in the direction of the Burrow. They had to stop several times to rest, and dusk was taking over the sky by the time the Burrow came into view. Molly and Arthur came out to meet them, both with a warm smile on their faces. Molly brought Cole something to eat, since he had to leave immediately.

Cole hugged Evelyn close, "I'll come check on you around the end of the summer, alright? I expect you to tackle me when I come." Evelyn smiled and nodded, "andara, safe travels." Cole flew off, and Arthur carried Evelyn inside, seating her on the couch, propped up by pillows. The family greeted her warmly, trying to be extra gentle.

* * *

About a week later, when Evelyn could finally sit up on her own, Molly informed them that they were all going to London. The trip was a difficult one, and the Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was a dusty, miserable old house that had been empty for years. Evelyn got a room to herself, but there was no window and it was small. Fred and George spent their days with her, mainly perfecting their extendable ears. Evelyn then learned about the Order of the Phoenix, who were dedicated to protecting Harry and bringing down Voldemort.

One evening, with a fire roaring in the hearth, Evelyn got a feeling of unbearable impatience. George glanced at her, taking in her expression. "What's wrong, Eve?" Evelyn tossed the blanket off of her legs, "I want to walk." Fred looked up from some firecracker in progress. "What? Evelyn, you can't." Evelyn shifted her legs over the side of the bed, wincing at the ache in her muscles. "I can and I will. Are you going to help me or not?"

George was beside her first, putting her arm over his shoulders and his arm around her waist, helping her to stand. She whimpered at the pain that flooded her legs, which trembled, but she stayed there until she could stand without hurting.

Fred stood a few feet in front of her. "Take a step." His voice was soft and encouraging, something that was rare from him. Evelyn shakily put one foot forward, relishing the feeling of the old floorboards beneath her feet. She shifted her weight, still leaning on George, and repeated the motion with the other foot. After a few more steps, she grinned and fell into Fred's waiting arms. He lifted her up and spun her around, laughing. "Okay, okay," he set her back on her feet. "This time, without help."

Evelyn managed to take a step and a half on her own before collapsing. George caught her and set her back in bed. Both twins were grinning like idiots. Evelyn smiled as she caught her breath. "Finally." George promised, "you can walk more tomorrow."

Molly came in then with some beef and steamed carrots. "Are you two pestering Evelyn again?" Fred jumped excitedly, "Evelyn walked!" Molly gasped, "oh that's wonderful!" Evelyn giggled happily, "it was only a few steps, but it's good to move again."

* * *

Evelyn began to walk more and more, sometimes walking the length of the room before collapsing into either Fred's or George's arms. Even on days that she was exhausted, they insisted that she walk at least a little bit.

By the time that Harry arrived, Evelyn could walk with only the aid of the wall down the hall and back. She was even allowed to sit in at a meeting, the first that the children (except for Ginny) were allowed to attend. The Ministry was causing problems, and it seemed that the world was against them. Unable to do anything else, Evelyn said, "when I get better, I'll protect Harry, especially if he does actually get expelled." Mrs. Weasley thanked her for the offer. Evelyn resolved to speak to Cole about the matter, though she doubted that the Hunters wanted anything to do with the internal troubles of Wizards.

However, Harry wasn't expelled, and was actually cleared of all charges. Ron and Hermione were made prefects, and Evelyn was walking up and down the hall without leaning on the wall. All seemed well with the world, as well as it could be with impending doom looming over them.


	38. The Note

Evelyn could walk on her own, carrying weight, for short distances by the time that autumn rolled around. Cole had come to visit her, but the visit had been brief, and she hadn't touched on the subject of all the troubles of the Wizarding world.

Just getting onto the Hogwarts Express was hell for Evelyn. Fred and George did their best to prevent her form being jostled, and Lee carried Jinx for her, but she still stumbled several times. When she finally slumped into a seat, her legs ached and she just wanted some chocolate.

Chocolate is not what she got. Instead, she got an intense stare-down between the twins and the newly-declared prefect, Draco Malfoy, who threatened them with detention for any mishaps they might cause. Evelyn stayed quiet, staring down at Jinx, who sprawled in her lap. She refused to look at him, especially since the other Slytherin Prefect was Pansy Parkinson, someone that Evelyn did not like. Draco liked her a little too much, though Evelyn reminded herself that it was silly of her to think so. The tension was nearly thick enough to touch.

The snack cart arriving broke the tension. Evelyn ordered chocolate frogs and Draco went on his way. Evelyn relished the frogs while Lee pestered the twins about their latest inventions. Evelyn wasn't really paying attention, but she gathered that the twins planned on opening a joke shop as soon as they could.

Evelyn suddenly heard her name, and looked up to see the three looking at her expectantly. "I'm sorry, what?" Fred asked, "have you ever had your first kiss?" Evelyn blushed, "what kind of question is that?!" Lee concluded, "she hasn't." George clicked his tongue, "that wont do." Evelyn huffed, "so what? I don't think it's that important." The door to the compartment opened suddenly, and Ernie stood there grinning. "But Miss Dracaena, it most certainly is." Evelyn rolled her eyes, "have you even had your first kiss, Ernie?" Ernie nodded, "yes I have." The other three declared that they had as well.

Evelyn was saved from that embarrassing conversation by their arrival at Hogwarts. She stood a little too fast and nearly fell, but Ernie caught her. "Easy there, do you need help?" The twins answered for her, "we'll take care of it." They helped her up and Lee carried Jinx to the great hall. The sorting hat had a warning for them, making Evelyn uneasy.

Neville beside Lee, which was unusual, because he usually sat beside Hermione. He looked like he had something that he wanted to say. Evelyn finally managed to get the others to hut up long enough to give him a chance to speak. His cheeks were very red. "I-... I'm glad you're better." He said it in a hurry. Evelyn got the feeling that that wasn't what he really wanted to say, but she didn't pester him.

* * *

Evelyn hated Umbridge, and Umbridge hated her. Since their first defense against the dark arts class, Evelyn had done all she could to get on Umbridge's nerves, and because she was a Hunter and not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic, Umbridge could do little more than give her scoldings and detention, not taking house points for some reason, though she was happy to take them from the other outraged students. After a few days, when Umbridge flinched when Evelyn threw her hands up, Evelyn realized why. Umbridge didn't know about her incredibly weakened state. Umbridge feared her. Evelyn didn't mind that. How did the ugly pink woman expect anyone to learn spells by reading them instead of practicing? It was all stupid. Not only that, but the stress of OWLs and someone, either the twins, Ernie, or Ginny, haunting her footsteps to make sure she was alright, was driving her insane.

Quidditch tryouts were the only thing that she was looking forward to. She had insisted to Umbridge that she had to be there, so she traded Friday's detention for a whole week the next week. Evelyn hated that woman. Everyone did.

Evelyn was pleased that Ron became the Keeper of the team. It was a nice change from all the anger and grumpiness that had been going on.

* * *

Evelyn wasn't feeling too well one morning, and her entire body ached after a long, restless night. Detention with Umbridge had worn on her, since Umbridge had her move all sorts of heavy things for her, not knowing that she wasn't as strong as she was supposed to be. She didn't tell anyone. Most people seemed to assume that Evelyn was back to normal, and she did her best to keep it that way, but that morning, when she dressed and slipped out of bed, her legs buckled and she fell to the ground with a grunt. Luckily, the room was empty, but it still scared her. She laid there until she had to get up for class.

Jinx meowed at her, waddling beside her and purring encouragingly as she made her way down the steps. She leaned heavily on the rail, her bag seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and she had to sit and rest by the time she finally made it to the common room.

The trip down the hallway was disastrous. Evelyn couldn't lean on the wall, though she did stop several times, standing still to steel herself, and she was headed right for Umbridge's class. She just managed to make it to her chair before collapsing, hiding her heavy breath. She got out her book and listened to Umbridge question Hermione. Evelyn was tired of hearing her voice, and tried to focus on reading.

Then Umbridge called out her name. Evelyn unintentionally snapped, "what?" Several students in the class openly gaped at her. Neville seemed to shrink in his seat. Umbridge, however, put on that fake smile that made Evelyn feel sick and asked, "you're looking a bit pale, are you alright?" Evelyn had had enough. She retorted with a falsely sweet voice, "my apologies, Professor, but the amount of pink that covers you is putting me off." She lowered her gaze back to her book. She could _feel_ Umbridge's rage, but she didn't care.

"Miss Dracaena, since you are feeling so dreadfully clever today, perhaps you would care to demonstrate the cheering charm to the class?" It had nothing to do with anything, and Umbridge was trying to provoke her. Evelyn, without looking up, replied smoothly, "I doubt it would work on you." The class was dead silent, but upon a quick glance around, Evelyn realized that most of them were grinning. Draco, however, was not. She presumed she was in for an ear full come lunch time, but she didn't care.

Umbridge gave her a week's worth of detention. Evelyn didn't care. She was the first out of the classroom, walking faster than she had before her accident. She broke into an awkward run. However, as soon as she made it into her secret courtyard, her legs gave out and she collapsed rather harshly into the grass. She laid there, legs trembling and heart pounding, trying to pull herself together.

"Evelyn?" Draco dropped his bag and ran over to her, kneeling down and pulling her to sit up. "Evelyn, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Evelyn shook her head and leaned on him. She hated being weak, but she knew when she needed help. "I tried to run." Draco rubbed her back, "you're not fully healed, are you?" Evelyn replied, "no." Draco hugged her, sitting there in silence until Evelyn could breathe again.

"I can't believe you, trying to rile up Umbridge." Draco scolded gently once Evelyn could hold herself up. Evelyn rolled her eyes, "she started it." Draco huffed, "now you've got even more detention." Evelyn shrugged, "I still get to go to Quidditch practice, so I don't care." Draco smoothed her hair back and changed the subject, asking seriously, "I thought you were at least getting stronger, almost normal. What happened?" Evelyn shook her head, "it's just a momentary relapse."

"Don't you dare lie to me, Dracaena." Evelyn was a bit startled by the edge in his voice. His steely eyes were harsh as he made her look at him. "What's going on?" Evelyn gave in. "Umbridge thinks I'm fine, so during detention she makes me move heavy things for her and essentially uses me as a bodyguard when she goes around campus. I can't show weakness in front of her or I'll give her an edge, and it's starting to wear on me."

Draco's gaze turned sympathetic, but he still had a bit of a rough look. "Then why do you keep getting detention?" Evelyn rolled her eyes, "I despise that woman. I've never truly hated anyone before, and I cant control myself." Draco sighed and ruffled her hair. He thankfully changed the subject. "Do you feel up to eating?" Evelyn shook her head, "I'm not hungry." She laid back in the grass, looking up at the sky. Draco sat beside her and ate his lunch in silence.

Their silence was ruined when the door opened. Both of them nearly jumped out of their skin, until they realized that it was only Ernie. Draco remained hostile, but Evelyn sat up. "What is it, Ernie?" He walked over to her and shook her hand, slipping a piece of paper into it. She took it discreetly, then Ernie said, "congratulations on showing up Umbridge. Did you really tell her that the cheering charm wouldn't work on her?" Evelyn grinned, "the look on her face was priceless. News travels fast." Ernie laughed, "I wanted to be able to shake your hand after that." He glanced at Draco, "I'll leave you alone now. See you later." He leaned down and kissed Evelyn's cheek, earning an extremely sour look from Draco that made Evelyn want to flinch away. Ernie left.

Draco huffed, "why do you let people touch you so freely?" Evelyn tilted her head, "what do you mean?" Draco rolled his eyes, "everyone seems to kiss your cheek and hold your hand." Evelyn was confused, "it's just a handshake. Besides, a kiss on the cheek is normal." Draco scowled, "no, actually, it isn't." Evelyn replied, "it is between friends. Hunters do it all the time. I thought it was normal here, too." Draco sighed, "it isn't." Evelyn pursed her lips, "then why do they do it?"

Draco shook his head, "if you don't know, you don't need to." He stood and offered his hand to help her up. After a moment's hesitation, she took it and stood shakily. Her legs felt better.

Draco then got an odd, faraway look. "Evelyn?" Evelyn picked up her bag, "yes?" Draco looked pained. "Did..." He looked down. "When... When you got cursed..." He hesitated. Evelyn touched his shoulder, "what is it?" Draco looked anywhere but her. "Was my father there?"

Evelyn slowly let her hand fall. She opened her mouth to speak, then paused. She let out a deep sigh. "No."

Draco could tell she was lying, and she knew it. He nodded, then kissed her cheek with a bit of a blush. "Good luck, with Umbridge, I mean." Evelyn smiled and waved him off. "I'll be fine." Draco left the courtyard.

Evelyn opened the message from Ernie. _Come to Hogshead when we go to Hogsmeade. This is important._ Evelyn wondered what on earth was going to happen next.


	39. The Army

Evelyn hadn't planned on going on the Hogsmeade trip, but after the note from Ernie, she pulled together her strength and went with everyone else. Fortunately, Umbridge had run out of heavy things to make her move, so she just acted as a bodyguard when she got detention now, which unfortunately meant defending her from the majority of pranks played on her, though she "accidentally" let a few slide. She acted as if she could only defend against one at a time, so people usually played three or four. Umbridge often complained about her lack of skill and prowess, but everyone else knew it wasn't true, so she was fine with it.

Evelyn took a deep breath of the cool air and trudged down the lane to Hogshead. There were some shifty characters in there, and she was early, so she picked a large table near the back and waited. However, Ernie wasn't the first to show. It was Hermione, Harry, and Ron. They spotted her and Hermione's eyes lit up. "I was afraid that you wouldn't come, given your condition." Evelyn frowned a bit, "thanks." Hermione laughed a bit, "sorry, I didn't mean it that way." Evelyn smiled.

Soon enough, a crowd of people joined them, Ernie among them, along with Fred, George, and Neville. Hermione explained that Harry was going to secretly teach them defense against the dark arts, though he clearly didn't think it was a good idea. However, when a Hufflepuff quidditch player named Zacharias Smith asked for proof that Harry had really seen Voldemort, Evelyn's excitement turned to cold fury. She listened to the conversation, seething, and finally spoke up when the twins threatened Zacharias. "Nice to see that everyone forgets I saw him too." All eyes turned to her, and several people flinched at the anger coming off of her in waves.

Evelyn stood, despite the protest in her legs. She leaned on the table, though made it look threatening. "If there really were no Death Eaters, no Voldemort," people flinched at the name, "then explain to me exactly what happened. Perhaps I was imagining the whole thing, or dreaming. Perhaps the nine cruciatus curses on me had all been cast by Harry himself, to add to his story? Perhaps looking into the eyes of the Dark Lord while he told me that death was too good for me was all an illusion?" Remembering the event made her tremble a bit, but it only added to the effect of her fury. "I suppose it's just a coincidence that I had to be summoned back through my wand by Dumbledore, perhaps I didn't really spend four days screaming, perhaps it's only an illusion that I couldn't walk for two months. Do tell me, Zacharias, do you truly believe that, even if it wasn't Voldemort, some dark force has returned and caused unrivaled chaos?"

The table was dead silent. Evelyn sat down. "Go on, Hermione, I think this little secret class is a fantastic idea." Hermione cleared her throat awkwardly. "Yes, well, anyway, I'll send out a message with the first meeting place and time. If you sign this paper, you're agreeing not to tell anyone, _especially_ Umbridge, what's going on." Evelyn signed the paper with flourish, excited about the whole idea. Hermione whispered, "once you get better, would you be willing to teach us as well?" Evelyn leaned back in her chair thoughtfully, "yes, I suppose I could teach you a thing or two. I'm not good enough at magic to teach you much about that, but a few Hunter tactics couldn't hurt. Everyone should know how to hold a sword." Hermione grinned, "thank you."

Evelyn waited until everyone left to stand. The little bit of gossip about Harry's crush and Ginny's new boyfriend had lifted her spirits, and the fury she felt was slowly fading. When she walked outside, Zacharias was waiting for her. He looked guilty. "I... I'm sorry. I don't know if Voldemort has really returned, but something happened to you, and I-" Evelyn cut him off. "It's alright," she smiled a bit. "Just make sure you don't tell Umbridge about any of this." He nodded and scampered off.

* * *

Evelyn was furious when the Gryffindor Quidditch team was disbanded. She had a mind to storm right into Umbridge's office and force her to allow it again, especially since her body had all but recovered completely, but as she was on her way, she ran into a fight outside of Snape's classroom between Neville and Draco. Harry and Ron were trying to hold Neville back, but the shy boy was furious and shouting some rude things. Evelyn heard Umbridge's voice calling from down the hall, "Dracaena, stop them!" Evelyn hated that Umbridge treated her like a personal soldier, but she walked over to the two boys and forcefully shoved them apart. "Stop it!" She commanded, and the two fell silent.

Umbridge deducted points from Gryffindor, then turned to Evelyn. Evelyn spoke before she could, "let the Quidditch team play again." Umbridge crossed her arms. Evelyn continued with a silky voice, "it would do no good if someone like Rita Skeeter found out that the esteemed High Inquisitor was playing favourites between houses." Umbridge seemed to see her point, since Slytherin had still been allowed to play. "Very well, but practices will be watched closely."

Practice was wet and rainy, but Evelyn grinned the whole time. She helped Ron practice as keeper, since she was good at making goals. Slowly but surely, he got better and better at blocking her shots. After practice, Harry told her about the Room of Requirement, and she agreed to throw Umbridge off the trail and then show up. She purposefully got detention that day, and blocked more pranks than usual. She also gave Umbridge a tip about a secret meeting somewhere in the dungeons, and that was enough to set her off the trail. Evelyn headed up to the room and found the door. She was a bit late, but she supported the decisions already made: Harry was the leader of Dumbledore's Army. Evelyn practiced the disarming spell with the rest of them.

After everyone got the hang of that, Hermione turned to Evelyn. "Feeling up to teaching anything?" Evelyn shifted a bit, "there's nothing in here I can teach right now. Perhaps next time I'll arrive first and some training swords will be here." Hermione nodded, and the meeting concluded. Evelyn left quickly. She went outside onto the moor, stretching. It was late in the evening, and she was strong enough to return to her routine of training at night.

The next meeting, Evelyn went to the room first, thinking that she needed a way to train these people how to tell the sharp end from the hilt of a sword. When the door appeared, she went inside, and sure enough, a pile of wooden training swords sat on the floor, some dummies stood to the side, and the rest of the room was covered in mats that wouldn't hurt too much to land on. However, there were only enough swords for half the members, so Evelyn decided she would start the other half on hand-to-hand combat.

People slowly began to filter in. Evelyn had worn her simple green shirt and brown pants under her robe, and she took her robe off, so she was dressed in proper training clothes. Cho Chang and Harry were the last to arrive. Evelyn cleared her throat and tried to remember how her uncle had first taught her. "Alright, split into two groups." To her surprise, Fred and George split up, though she supposed it was sensible, since they would likely teach each other.

She started the hand-to-hand combat group on a warm-up routine, stretching and a few push-ups, while she handed everyone in the other group a training sword. She held one herself, "alright, first you need to know how to hold a sword. If you hold one wrong, you could easily break your wrist." She went around, placing everyone's fingers on the swords and showing them how to poise their wrists. "Now I want you to practice picking up the swords correctly." While they did that, she went to the other group.

"I need a volunteer." She looked around. Fred stepped forward, with a grin. Evelyn crossed her arms, "I'm sure everyone here has gotten into a fistfight, or at least seen one, but just in case, Fred, I need you to try to hit me, as fast and as hard as you can." Fred's grin faltered, "but-" Evelyn held her hand up and looked smug. "You won't hit me, don't worry, but I need you to try." She said to the group, "fistfights are messy, uncontrolled, and uncoordinated. No one things in a fistfight, and I need to beat that out of you."

She turned to Fred, who lifted his fists. She noticed his unease and said, "let's make a deal. If you can hit me, I'll give you a kiss." Fred's unease faded and he lashed out, fist seemingly controlled. Evelyn leaned a bit, grabbed his wrist as it flew past her face, and yanked, flipping Fred over her shoulder and throwing him to the ground. She looked down at him. "See? Uncontrolled and messy." She helped him up and turned back to the group. "You are your own weapon, and you're as good as you make yourself. It'll be hard to learn to think on the fly, but once you get the hang of it, you might even land a hit. First, we'll practice control." She dragged out a dummy for each of them. "I want you to practice hitting these, anywhere you'd like. You need to hit it with only your first two knuckles, not all four. That is control, and your hands will thank you for it later." She showed them how and went back to the other group.

"Hold up your swords." Neville's arm shook, "these are heavy." Evelyn said calmly, "a real sword is just as heavy, if not heavier." She examined their holds. Luckily, all of them had it mostly right, and with a few adjustments, they were fine. Evelyn nodded approvingly, "alright, I need a volunteer." George stepped forward, wearing the same grin as Fred. Evelyn picked up a sword. "The most important part of all this is learning to block. You may not win a fight by just blocking, but you _will_ lose if you don't know how." She turned to George, "I'm going to strike at you, slowly, and I want you to block it."

The lesson was long and hard, and everyone was exhausted by the time they finished, but Evelyn felt better than she had in months, and she didn't feel sore anymore. "Alright, lesson's over. Stretch, and get some rest." She put her robe back on and went to the baths to clean the sweat off.

* * *

Evelyn was furious after the Quidditch game. Even though they had one, Harry, Ron, Fred, and George had been taken off the team. She was glad it wasn't her turn to teach that day, and so was everyone else. She was a harsh teacher, though she was patient and encouraging. That day during detention, she let more pranks on Umbridge than usual slip by.

Evelyn crossed her arms as Umbridge fussed at Hagrid for the Thestral. She kept her mouth shut at first, but she did go over and pet the Thestral. "I'll have you know, Umbridge, that while the Thestral certainly is dangerous, they're very sweet creatures if you're pleasant to them. I'd advise that you don't get close." Umbridge gave her detention, of course, but Evelyn didn't mind.

Evelyn left Hogwarts for Christmas break and went back to her clan, delighted to see them after so long. She caught up on all her training then, and by the time she came back, she was back to normal, better than normal, and ready to raise hell for Umbridge.


	40. The Gate

Crap I made a mistake, Ron is still on the Quidditch team. Sorry, guys, ignore that please.

* * *

There was something different about Evelyn when she returned to Hogwarts, something harder and stronger and more determined. Something had happened over Christmas that she refused to talk about, even to Draco. However, this new determination showed in her lessons, and everyone was improving drastically.

* * *

Something was wrong with Harry. He had been laughing maniacally until Ron slapped him. Evelyn frowned a bit, then found out about Harry's Occlumency lessons, and Harry told them that it had actually made it worse. Evelyn stood from her seat, "Harry, let me help you. I know I cant do much with the magical part, but there is another way to resist." She knew she probably shouldn't be doing this, but she couldn't let this go on. She had promised that she would protect Harry, and right then, this was the best way. "Sneak out onto the moor tonight, I'll make sure Umbridge doesn't catch us, and I'll teach you a little trick."

That night, Harry was waiting for her on the moor. She walked over, then looked at the stars. "The world just seems to be against you, doesn't it?" Harry nodded, sighing. "What are you going to teach me? These lessons are making me more sensitive to Voldemort, how can you help me?" Evelyn faced him, crossing her arms. "I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise me that no one, _no one_ , knows I taught you this." Harry nodded, eyes wide like saucers. Evelyn put her hands on his temples and closed her eyes. She spoke, "incidas," and suddenly she could see what Harry saw. She saw herself, eyes closed, deathly still, and she felt Harry's fear. He was afraid. That was good. She spoke and watched her own lips move, her voice seeming to echo in his mind. "Aranatas occulo, miranai simpatina." Her eyes opened, and Harry's fear spiked, because they were entirely dark grey. "Your mind is your own, to open and close." She then felt a new gate in Harry's mind, and he sensed it to. Her eyes faded back to their usual colours. "Now, close me out. That gate you feel? Close it. It should be easy." She then felt herself being forcefully shoved out of Harry's mind, and she was back in her own body again.

Harry stumbled back, gasping for breath. "What..." Evelyn smiled at him. "You can now open and close your mind at will. This works against any magic, and most Hunters, with the exception of powerful Keepers. You won't need to practice, because you're fully in control of it, and no one can take that from you." Harry slowly gathered himself. "Th-Thank you." Evelyn nodded. "Remember, no one else knows about this, not even Dumbledore, understand?" Harry nodded.

* * *

The new Divination teacher was a centaur. Evelyn didn't have Divination, but she dropped by before his next class to greet him anyway. Firenze was a pleasant man, and seemed to have great respect for Evelyn. She had worked with centaurs before, and returned his respect. They chatted until most of the class had arrived and people were giving them curious looks. Evelyn bowed her head, "we'll speak later." Firenze nodded and Evelyn left the classroom.

However, that day, the DA meeting was caught. Evelyn got away in time, but Harry did not. Evelyn followed him and Umbridge to a room with other important people, and listened through the door about the charges. She was delighted when Dumbledore took the fall and escaped, then she slipped away before anyone could catch her. However, as she was walking down the hall inconspicuously, The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, called out to her. "Miss Dracaena, I have a few questions for you." Evelyn turned back with a polite smile. "Yes?" He motioned her into an office with Umbridge in it. Umbridge looked furious. She screeched, "are you involved?" Evelyn looked confused, "involved in what?" Umbridge took a step towards her, "Dumbledore's Army!" Evelyn stood taller, and Umbridge took a step back. There was a bit of a confused look on Fudge's face.

"That's ridiculous, how could Dumbledore have an army?" Evelyn's answer only infuriated Umbridge more, but Fudge stepped in. "Miss Dracaena, care to explain why many students, their names present on this sign up list as well as yours, have grown noticeably physically stronger?" Evelyn rolled her eyes, "perhaps they're working out. Who wouldn't be, with the threat of Voldemort?" This made Fudge mad, "Miss Dracaena, need I remind you that the Dark Lord-" she cut him off. "Oh shut it, Minister, before they come and cast _nine curses_ on you at once." She said it meaningfully. Fudge had no response.

Umbridge did. "How dare you speak to the Minister like that!" Fudge holds up his hand, "I am making Umbridge head of Hogwarts, and you will respect that. Also, I'd like you to join her Inquisitorial Squad, to keep the other students in line. I believe that you understand what is at stake, Miss Dracaena." Evelyn was about to refuse, then she paused. "Why? My name is on that list, why do you trust me?" Fudge seemed surprised. "The young Malfoy said that you tipped him off, I assumed that you were loyal. You've also acted as a bodyguard for the Professor." Evelyn had many sour thoughts, but she accepted with a smile. It would be a good chance to get information to the others.

Evelyn was more than happy to distract Umbridge while the twins set up their firecrackers. It was funny to see all the teachers playing along. Evelyn did just enough to make her look loyal, but she loved giving information of Umbridge's plans and whereabouts to the others. She also kept Draco off the trail, and though she was furious with him, she played nice.

* * *

Evelyn helped the twins ditch Hogwarts. She did little things to trip the squad up as they made their escape. Evelyn barely managed to contain her grin. However, that urge went away when Umbridge whirled on her. "You!" She pointed her wand, making Evelyn pause. "Yes, Headmaster?" However, the title did nothing to soothe Umbridge's rage. All eyes were on them. "You helped them to escape!" Evelyn looked offended, "I did no such thing!" There were snickers in the crowd. Umbridge snarled, "I saw you cast a tripping spell!" Evelyn rolled her eyes, "I was casting it at them." Umbridge, in her rage, threatened, "you'll take their punishment." This put a wicked grin on Evelyn's face and the room went silent. She spoke softly, though the danger was clear. "Just you try to whip me, _Dolores_ , and see how that goes. Need I remind you of my family's protective nature?" She took a step forward, finally letting out her pent-up aggression against Umbridge. "Need I remind you of my own nature? I do recall a chapter in that _wonderful_ book you made us read in class on how dangerous Hunters are when cornered. What was the phrase? Do not engage. It takes a horde of Aurors to bring even one of us down, are you sure about this? I suppose you like to punish those who have defended you from the most vicious pranks." Evelyn clicked her tongue, shaking her head. She was less than a foot away from Umbridge, and relished the fact that she was a bit taller. "I'd suggest you take that back."

There was nothing Umbridge could do, so she stormed out of the hall. Evelyn ripped off her inquisitorial squad badge and tossed it to the ground.

* * *

After winning the final Quidditch match because of Ron's newfound skills, and acing all of her OWLs, Evelyn couldn't be feeling better.


	41. The Fight

Evelyn was the one to break Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville out of the grasp of the inquisitorial squad. She didn't even use magic either. She shoved each and every one of them out of the way, including Draco. She untied the four students and sent them away before turning to the squad. "Let's have a lesson," she started with glee. "Millicent, you first, since you're so insistent on being violent. Control is key!" Millicent tried to punch her, but Evelyn flipped her over her shoulder. "COme on, you can do better, darling!"

She knew the jinx from Draco was coming, and she turned to face him as it hit her. It hurt, a lot, the stunning jinx, but it didn't work. She coughed a bit, "come on Malfoy, sweetheart, it takes more than that! That would hardly work on a first year!" She then locked them all in the room and ran off with the other four, who had waited on her. She was a bit out of breath from the jinx as she ran, and they met Harry and Hermione on the edge of the forest. After hearing them explain how Umbridge had been taken by the centaurs, Luna called down Thestrals. Evelyn helped Ron to get onto his and climbed onto her own. They flew off to the Department of Mysteries.

Evelyn stayed out of sight once they got to the room with all of the prophecy spheres. The fight was a nasty one, and Evelyn got separated form the others. She found herself face-to-face with Lucius Malfoy. He had an interesting look on his face, his wand raised. "You told my son that I wasn't among the Death Eaters. Why?" Evelyn snarled, raising her own wand. "You may not care about your son, but I do." She shot a stunning jinx at him and ran. She ran into Harry and Neville in the room with the archway, along with the other death eaters. Bellatrix cast a curse on her, making her dizzy. However, she still managed to put up a fight.

She ran after Bellatrix and Harry when they ran, and stumbled upon them exchanging curses. However, still dazed from a spell, she didn't notice Voldemort enter the room. Something hit her in the back of the head, and she fell to the ground, looking up to see Lucius Malfoy standing over her, his wand two inches from her face. When Dumbledore showed up, Bellatrix cast a binding spell on her, "you'll be useful," and dragged her away. She tried to scream, but a swift kick to the head knocked her out cold.

* * *

Neville was scared. Of course he was scared, everyone was, but he was really scared. As he sat in the infirmary, letting Madam Pomfrey check his injuries and assure him he would be fine, he just shook his head. Hermione pestered him to tell her what was wrong. Ginny was the first to ask, "where is Evelyn? She was with us. Does the Ministry have her?" Neville spoke up then. "I saw them, the death eaters, that wretched woman Bellatrix, they took her. They knocked her out and took her." That was enough to make everyone fall silent.

The news travelled around Hogwarts quickly, and many people asked Neville and the others what had happened, but it was Neville that Draco Malfoy approached. "Where is she?!" He demanded, cornering Neville. "Where is she!?" Neville shook his head, "the death eaters took her..." "WHO?" Neville struggled not to cry. "Bellatrix Lestrange, and..." He hesitated, but Draco wouldn't have it. "And?"

"Lucius Malfoy."


	42. The Oath

The stone room was dark, and the chains bit into Evelyn from all directions, preventing her from moving. A gag kept her from speaking, and a blindfold covered her eyes. Even her head was restrained, and sitting on her knees, arms out, held tightly in place, was beginning to wear on Evelyn. However, the silence was the worst. The only sound was her ragged breathing, straining against the gag, and the slight clink of chains whenever she tried to move. She wasn't sure how long she was there before something happened, but she felt delirious when it did, and she was incredibly thirsty, so she guessed a few days at least.

Finally, there were footsteps echoing in the room. They got louder until Evelyn realized that they were right in front of her. Then she heard the voice of Lucius Malfoy. "My son asks about you. He knows that I have something to do with this." Evelyn's heart pounded, were they going to kill her? Lucius kept talking. "The Dark Lord is sending him on a dangerous mission, most likely to punish me for my mistake. Narcissa is beside herself. She is also furious with me, saying that I was hurting Draco by keeping you in this state. She doesn't understand." A soft sigh was heart, a regretful and wistful one. "Narcissa asked to see you, but your location cannot be known by anyone except for Bellatrix, the Dark Lord, and myself."

Evelyn shifted, grunting angrily against the rag. Lucius patted her head, "I apologize for the rough state you are in, but this is necessary. You are dangerous. You should have joined us when you had the chance." Lucius paced back and forth in front of her. "Potter has been made captain of the Quidditch team. I thought you would like to know. He should enjoy it while it lasts." Evelyn tried to speak, wondering why he was telling her this.

"Though Bellatrix would like to be cruel to you, Narcissa has asked me that I remain pleasant, for Draco's sake if not yours. I respect her wishes." Evelyn tried to shift again. She was still scared. That fear only grew when she heard rapid footsteps. "Malfoy!" It was Bellatrix's harsh voice. "How much are you revealing!? Might as well let her loose to kill us all!" So they were actually afraid of her. That was reassuring, but it also meant they they would be extra careful. She wondered if her clan would come for her. Probably not, if they didn't even know where she was.

"I was simply explaining a few things, Lestrange." Malfoy's voice was curt and cold. "Will the Dark Lord be joining us?" "Yes, he's on his way now with Nagini. Tighten the chains." Evelyn let out a cry of pain as the chains pulling on her in all directions tightened. She couldn't even wiggle now, and could hardly breathe.

A different voice entered the room, the same one that had told Evelyn that she would wish for death, and terror filled her, though there was little she could do about it. "So you succeeded in capturing the Hunter. Very good." Evelyn heard the sliding sound of a snake moving towards her. She heard a soft hiss nect to her ear and felt the snake's weight on her shoulders. She groaned as the strain on her joints intensified.

"Evelyn," Evelyn shuddered at the voice. "I need you to do something for me." Evelyn growled a bit, but the voice kept talking. "Unless you want Draco hurt." She could hear the sharp intake of breath from Lucius. Evelyn listened. "I need you to tell me about the security measures of Hogwarts. You will attend school, act as normal, and try and be friendly with everyone. The usual, from what I hear. You'll do whatever Draco tells you, and no one else knows about this. I will not ask you to harm anyone, but if anyone comes close to finding out, I must be informed immediately. Am I clear?"

Evelyn was enraged. She struggled and pulled against the chains, even when the snake constricted around her. However, at the casting of a torture curse, she fell silent. "If you fail to comply, I will kill one of your close friends for each rule broken. Am I clear?" Evelyn didn't fight this time. A few tears slid out from under the blindfold. "Also," the voice continued. "You will not use your Hunter words to fight us. We will not be harmed by your language. You will take an Unbreakable Oath to affirm this." Evelyn felt a spell being cast, and she accepted it.

Then there was a searing pain on her left arm, and she screamed against the gag. Then it vanished, and Evelyn could feel the Dark Lord's presence, as well as those of the two Death Eaters. She slumped as much as the chains would allow, knowing that they had put the dark mark on her arm. "Lucius," Voldemort spoke. "Release her and see that she reaches Diagon Alley safely." Voldemort and Bellatrix left the room.

The chains fell away from her, and Evelyn collapsed to the floor. The gag and the blindfold were removed, and Lucius held a cup of water to her lips. She drank it. She then scarfed down the bread and stew fed to her. Lucius's expression was cold, but his eyes showed confliction. Evelyn turned her gaze from him to the mark on her arm. It was indeed the dark mark of Voldemort. She turned away.

* * *

Lucius took her to his mansion. Draco was not there, but Narcissa was, and she fell on Evelyn with a shower of hugs and apologies. "Oh, sweetheart, I know you've been hounded enough, but I must ask something of you." She shooed Lucius away and let Evelyn sit on a couch by a fire. "Will you protect Draco for me? My poor boy, he was forced into this, just like you were. Please, will you keep him safe?" Evelyn nodded, "with my life, Narcissa. This is not your son's fault."

Evelyn stayed with the Malfoys for a few weeks, and was left inconspicuously in Diagon Alley while the Malfoys went off. She stood there, feeling lost, and with still a month left before school, the place was mostly empty. She decided to head to her clan, remembering with a half-smile that the Hunter games were approaching. She felt a bit empty as she greeted her clan, but hid it well. Perhaps the Hunter games would be a welcome distraction. They were in Germany this time, with clan Rafaela hosting. Evelyn remembered Vakker, and wondered if he would be there.

She wondered how she was going to get out of this mess alive. Perhaps she wasn't. Perhaps it was better that way.


	43. The Kiss

The fresh air of the German mountains was a wonderful thing to Evelyn. She welcomed the distraction of greeting the other clans. She greeted old friends and met new ones, but she didn't see Vakker. She supposed it didn't matter. She took a deep breath as she remembered the responsibility she had been given. The reason she had become harsher after the last Christmas was because she had been nominated as the Hunter Protector for the Dracaena clan.

The Protectors were an elite class of Hunters only called upon in times of peril. One was chosen for each clan, and their job was to go and protect the wizarding world in the times of peril, just like the first Hunter had wanted. However, the peril wasn't caused by the Dark Lord. Signs of the god Neiman, god of war, madness, and violence, had shown up all over the world. The Protectors were chosen to fight him.

Evelyn was introduced as a Protector, and to her luck, so was Vakker, who gave her a bit of a sly smile. Then the games began. With her mind distracted, Evelyn couldn't focus on the other games, but as soon as she stepped into the field for her own fight, she was a blank slate. She drew her blades, feeling cool and confident in her dragon-hide armor, which fortunately were long sleeved. Her first opponent was easy to beat, a newly made assassin who was too cocky for her own good. She worked her way up over the next couple of weeks until there were only four people remaining, including herself. The semi-finals.

Evelyn was feeling tired, but it didn't show. She shifted on her feet, blades in hand, and a man who preferred a double-sided sword to knives stepped forward. He was in his late forties, with a nasty scar across his face, but his smile was warm. Evelyn returned it and the fight began.

Evelyn won by the skin of her teeth.

She had a wound in her thigh, and was breathing hard, but she grinned as she wrapped up for the final round. She watched the Warrior fight, cheering for Simon, who won his quarter-final fight. She watched the rogues, then it was her turn again. She stepped out onto the field, hearing Cole cheering for her, to find that her opponent was Vakker. His weapons of choice were two knives, like Evelyn.

"Good luck, my lady," he winked at her as they got ready to fight. Evelyn grinned, "you're the one who needs it." Vakker laughed, then said, "let's place bets. If I win, you have to kiss me." Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "What if I win?" Vakker looked thoughtful. "I'll give you a box of the finest Swiss chocolate I can find." Evelyn lit up, "deal!"

The horn went off, but neither of them moved. They stared each other down, assessing the other, watching for any sign, any tense muscles, any weak joints, anything that would give them the advantage.

Evelyn struck first. She darted forward, one blade out with the other protecting her, and the clang of metal clashing rang out. The crowd cheered as they exchanged blow, not really trying to land any, just getting a feel for the other's style. They broke apart, and the real fight begun. This time, Vakker struck first, darting downwards and bringing his blade up. Evelyn used the setting sun to her advantage, using her knife to reflect it into his eye. She bounced away, grinning.

The fight went on, and Evelyn began to feel overwhelmed. Vakker was faster, and had the gift of youth while still having a couple of years of experience on her. Evelyn fought with more ferocity and quicker thinking, but Vakker was beginning to wear her down, though she could tell that he was starting to slip as well. However, just as she was about to go for the winning blow, Vakker kicked her feet out from under her, pressing his blade to her neck while planting one foot on her stomach.

Evelyn had lost.

Vakker offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet. She was still grinning from the exhilaration of the fight. "Well done," they said to each other at the same time. Evelyn went back to her clan. They congratulated her for a fight well-fought.

Cole won his games by taming an angry mother dragon. It was quite the feat.

That night, Evelyn was walking through the forest, on her way to the mountain top to see the stars. She was aware that someone was following her, but she didn't really care, figuring that it was someone from her clan. She made it to the bare rock face and to the highest point of the mountain, looking down at all the clans camped below. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Her hair fluttered in the gentle breeze and the stars seemed to fill her eyes as she looked up at them.

"You continue to surprise me, Miss Dracaena." Evelyn turned to see Vakker standing a few meters away. She raised an eyebrow, "how so?" He chuckled and stepped closer, "the first time I saw you, I saw a wild girl, full of tightly controlled rage, taking down a man who should have easily bested her. The second, I met an elegant young lady in a stunning dress who danced The Storm as naturally as a storm itself, and the third time, a woman who fought with such ferocity that she nearly bested me." He was standing right in front of her. "What will you show me next?"

"I didn't know you were a night walker." Evelyn didn't back away, holding her ground. Vakker replied, "I'm not, but my mother was, so I am not new to being up at night." Evelyn nodded in understanding. Vakker cleared his throat, "I believe you lost a bet, Evelyn." Evelyn blushed a bit, feeling nervous all of a sudden. Vakker lifted her chin gently, "don't tell me you have never been kissed." Evelyn nodded.

Vakker had a bit of a victorious look in his eyes. "I must say, it pleases me to know that I have not lost to the blonde snake." Before she could ask what he meant, he kissed her, long and slow and sweet; innocently, like a first kiss should be. Evelyn was the first to pull away, feeling guilty for some reason. She looked away as Vakker chuckled, "my lady shows me her shy side. How precious." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He kissed her cheek softly, "I must return now. Perhaps we'll meet again?" Evelyn shrugged. "Perhaps." When he left, she smiled a bit sadly to herself. "Though likely not."


	44. The Kisses

I figured that maybe I should start on the romance part of this romance story. I hope I don't cause too may problems.

* * *

After the games were over, Evelyn bid her clan farewell once again and headed for Diagon Alley to prepare for the next school year. She felt so alone, walking through the crowd, and rubbed her wrist subconsciously. She had just bought her last textbook when Draco approached her. "Evelyn," he seemed to have decided that it was okay to be seen with her now. "Draco," it was the first time she had spoken to him since being kidnapped. "I have something for you." His robe seemed to be wiggling. He pulled none other than the certified fatass Jinx out of his robe. Evelyn lit up, "my baby!" She scooped up Jinx in her arms, petting and cooing at him while he purred helplessly. "Thank you, Draco," she said as she smiled at him. He nodded and said, "I'll see you on the train." Evelyn nodded and watched him walk away.

"Evelyn!" Evelyn heard a familiar voice call to her and turned around, grinning. "Fred!" He ran up and lifted her off the ground in a hug, "I was so worried! Where have you been? Neville, he said that-" He was cut off by a loud, unamused meow from Jinx, whom he was crushing between them. He let her go, "sorry." He patted Jinx's head before looking back at Evelyn. "When I heard they got you, I thought for sure-" "I'm alright now," Evelyn put on her best smile for him. Fred seemed so relieved, "good." He ruffled her hair. "I want to show you the new shop. George'll have a fit when he sees you." Evelyn followed him, grinning, but she couldn't shake the guilt in her stomach.

"Evelyn!" Everyone seemed to be in the twins' new joke shop, and she was crushed before she could get away. They pestered her with questions, which she slyly brushed off, until things began to settle. George hugged her for a long time. "I- we were so worried. You cant just disappear on us like that." He held her shoulders at arm's length, "is it true? Were you really captured?" Evelyn looked away, "I don't want to talk about it." He hugged her again, "I'm just glad you're alright."

"Let her breathe, will you?" Fred was grinning as he gently shoved his twin. They showed her around the shop, making her laugh with various pranks and tricks. "This is fantastic!" She exclaimed once the tour was over. "I'm glad you've done what you've always wanted to do."

She spent the day with the two, mainly watching as they sold things and spoiled Jinx, who had gotten even fatter over the summer. He was pleasantly round now and waddled when he walked, but he was a happy cat with his little folded ears.

Evening came around and the twins closed the shop for the day. George asked her, "will you come with us back to the Burrow? Mother would love to cook for you." Evelyn felt a pang of guilt and shook her head, "I have a room at the Leaky Cauldron. As much as I'd love to, I'd better just stay here. Tell her I said hello." The twins, of course, picked up on that something was wrong, but they didn't question it, instead insisting on joining her for tea, at least for a little while.

Evelyn found herself sitting in her little room in the in with the twins sitting across from her and Jinx lounging on the table. She sipped her tea, closing her eyes as the warm liquid ran down her throat. Fred was the first to speak. "So where were you over the summer?" Evelyn set her teacup down, "the Hunter games were this year, held in Germany. I came in second place." George tilted his head. "Who won? Who could possibly beat you?" Evelyn laughed a little, blushing as she remembered. "Vakker Rafaela." Fred slammed his cup down, "the one from the Yule Ball? He beat you? How?" Evelyn sighed, "he swept me off my feet, quite literally. He kicked my legs out from under me after nearly an hour and a half of fighting." George frowned, "you should have won." Evelyn shrugged, smiling, "it's not that big of a deal. Second is still a big accomplishment."

"There's something you're not telling us, about this Rafaela guy." Fred leaned on the little table. Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "What could I not be telling you?" Fred studied her closely, "something happened between you." Evelyn rolled her eyes, "yeah, he beat me in a fight. Big deal." George crossed his arms, suddenly asking, "Evelyn, have you had your first kiss yet?" Evelyn's cheeks lit up, "what?!" Fred's jaw dropped. "It was him, wasn't it?" Evelyn looked away. "It was! Why on earth would you kiss a guy like him!?" Evelyn sighed, "we had a bet, okay? If I won the fight, he would send me a box of fine Swiss chocolate. If I lost, well..."

Fred was not pleased. "You got drawn into kissing him because he offered you chocolate?" "Don't say it like that!" Evelyn was distressed. George laughed a bit, "calm down, Fred. No need to be so jealous, she likely wont see him again any time soon." Fred grumbled to himself.

George smirked a bit, "would you kiss me, Evelyn?" Evelyn blushed more, "what?" George leaned forward. "If I gave you chocolate, would you kiss me?" Evelyn pouted, "you're teasing me." "No, it's a good question," Fred spoke up again. Evelyn crossed her arms, "honestly you two, so I was blinded by chocolate. It's no big deal."

George stood, "it is a big deal, Eve. He stole your first kiss. We're not too happy about that." He walked around to her side of the table. She felt butterflies in her stomach. He leaned down, stopping inches away from her face. "Too bad we cant take it back." She heard Fred stand, the chair scraping along the wooden floor. "We may not be able to, but we can try." Evelyn blushed brightly, gulping. "Very funny," her voice shook a bit. "Prank's over."

George's smirk was borderline vicious as he rested his hand on the back of her neck. "Not this time, sweetheart." He pulled her forward and kissed her. It was nothing like Vakker's kiss. This one was passionate and quick, leaving Evelyn breathless by the time he pulled away.

"That's not fair, George, I want a kiss too." Fred put his hand on Evelyn's cheek, turning her head and crashing his lips into hers. His kiss was wild and a bit rough, making Evelyn's head spin even after he pulled away. Her face was red as a tomato.

Fred winked at her, "we'd better be getting home now." George agreed, giving Jinx one last treat. "We'll see you later, Evelyn." They kissed her cheeks, making her stomach flip, and left her, stunned with her heart racing.


	45. The Moment

Evelyn avoided the others as she got on the Hogwarts Express, though they didn't seem to notice. She was still a bit dazed from the events of the inn room, so she sat in an empty compartment and closed her eyes, rubbing Jinx's fur absent-mindedly. She dozed off. It was dark outside the window when he woke to a knock at the compartment door. It slid open to reveal Draco Malfoy, but the unusual thing was that he was alone, no Crabbe and Goyle in sight. "Evelyn? Sorry to wake you." She shook her head and sat up a bit, rubbing her eyes. Jinx meowed and walked across the seat, demanding that Draco pet him. Draco sat beside Evelyn and let Jinx curl up on his lap.

"I'm sorry, Eve." Draco looked at the opposite wall of the compartment. Evelyn laid her head on his shoulder, still tired. "It's alright." Draco cleared his throat, though Evelyn was unaware of how red his cheeks and ears were, and asked, "what did they do to you to make you join? Did they hurt you?" Evelyn didn't want to talk about it. "Don't ask." Draco shifted, putting his arm around her. "Did they hurt you?" He asked again, insistent. Evelyn sighed softly. "Yes. Now stop asking."

Draco fell silent for a long time. Then he asked, "did they put the mark on you?" He rolled up his sleeve, revealing his own mark. Evelyn rolled up hers. She rolled it down again, finding the sight of the black mark on her white skin revolting. Draco stroked her hair gently. "I'm sorry." Evelyn shook her head and sat up, "don't worry about it."

The door slid open to reveal Lee Jordan, who plopped down in the seat across from them. "Good evening, Evelyn. The twins asked me to keep an eye on you." Evelyn laughed a bit, "did they now?" Lee glanced at Draco, "what's he doing here?" Draco frowned, then Jinx popped his head up, Lee began fawning over him, and the question was forgotten.

However, things soon got tense. Ernie and Neville joined them, and the compartment was dead silent. Evelyn could feel the tension, and the interesting part was, Draco silently refused to leave, though normally he would have thought of himself as too good for the likes of the others. Evelyn petted Jinx and stared out the window, leaving the boys to sort out their own problems.

Draco, however, was not content to leave her be. He cleared his throat, "Longbottom, don't you have some plant to snivel at?" Evelyn frowned, "oh, leave him be. Harry isn't here, you don't have to be so mean." Neville stared at his lap. Ernie spoke next, "Malfoy, don't you have to go complain about Potter somewhere else?" Draco scowled, "I suppose you just want to be alone with the tutor you surpassed a long time ago." "Hey, children, calm down," Lee tried to interfere, but the insults flung back and forth between Ernie and Draco got heated.

Neville gave Evelyn a desperate look, but Malfoy snapped at him. "Need someone to save you again?" Neville got mad at this, "I can handle myself!" He drew his wand. Remembering how proficient he had gotten in DA lessons, Evelyn held up her hands, "enough! Will you all stop it?" Draco turned to her, "why do you insist on associating with them?" Ernie retorted, "why would you hang out with someone so full of himself?" Evelyn sighed with exasperation. "Why don't you all learn to get along!?"

Lee cleared his throat, "see? She isn't picking favourites, so quit getting your panties in a bunch and behave yourselves." Evelyn crossed her arms, "this isn't about favourites, but he's right, sit down and play nice." Neville mimicked her, crossing his arms. "If Malfoy wasn't such a pretentious prick, we wouldn't be in this mess." Draco snarled, "if Longbottom wasn't such a sniveling coward, he wouldn't need you to save him every time he flicks his wand wrong." Evelyn growled menacingly, "that's enough!"

"Malfoy hates associating with other houses anyway, he should leave." Ernie spoke resentfully. Evelyn wondered what on earth had gotten into them. Draco rolled his eyes, "very well, Evelyn, let's go." Neville cut in, "she'd rather stay with the members of her own house, and not some git like you!" Ernie sneered, "at least Ravenclaws are respectable and not sneaky about everything!"

Evelyn stood, stepped over Draco with Jinx and her bag in her arms, and left, slamming the compartment door behind her. She went to another empty one across the isle and closed the door, laying down on the seat. "They want to argue, they can do it without me." She could still hear heated voices, but she blocked them out, petting Jinx and burying her face in his fur. When they got to Hogwarts, she refused to speak to any of them, sitting across from Hermione in the great hall. The aurors that were guarding Hogwarts and Hogsmeade all seemed wary of her, and she was fine with letting them be.

The first couple weeks of school were rather harsh on Evelyn. She avoided Harry, Ron, and Hermione while still staying close enough to watch them, for their own safety, and she avoided Draco altogether. Quidditch was her only relief, even though Harry was the captain of the team and Ron was the keeper. She had stopped writing letters to Oliver, explaining that she was having some rough times and she would write more later. She received letters from the Keeper often, warning her to be on the lookout for any signs of the chaos god's return.

In Quidditch, she was moved from the position of chaser to beater, and she was vicious about it. They won the first match, and Ron's performance was amazing.

* * *

One night, when Evelyn was wandering the halls, the night of Slughorn's Holiday party (which she had politely declined an invitation to), Draco caught up with her and shoved her against a wall, much to her surprise. He held her there by her shoulders, "why are you avoiding me?" Evelyn stared at him, wondering if he had gone mad. He repeated his question with a snarl. Evelyn frowned a bit, "because I'm pissed at you for being such an arse to my friends." Draco scowled, "they started it." "Really? Because as I recall it, you started it." "They started it by bothering us in the first place!"

Evelyn resisted the urge to slap him. "Let go of me, Malfoy." The hurt in Draco's eyes was obvious, but his face remained a mask of fury. "I don't think I will. As I recall it, you have to do whatever I say, at least until Potter dies." Evelyn narrowed her eyes, "only for your little mission, Malfoy. I'm not here to cater to your every whim." Draco smirked devilishly, "I think otherwise." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the hall, with Evelyn protesting and resisting the urge to pound him into a bloody pulp, until he finally shoved her into their secret courtyard and pushed her against the wall again.

"What's gotten into you, Malfoy?" Evelyn growled. Draco replied, "you've been avoiding me for weeks, Evelyn, I'm a little hurt." Evelyn rolled her eyes, "the great pretentious Draco Malfoy got his feelings hurt? I have a hard time believing that." Draco did something that surprised her greatly. He slapped her. After getting over her initial shock, she slapped him back, hard enough to knock him to the ground.

They stared at each other for a long moment, seething with fury. Then, as if on cue, they both started laughing. Evelyn held out a hand to Draco and helped him up, smiling. "You ever hit me again, I'll kill you." Draco laughed some more and hugged her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close, closing her eyes for a brief moment. There was no need for an apology.

Draco was the first to loosen his grip, but he didn't let go, instead resting his hands on her waist. "Evelyn?" "Hmm?" She let her hands rest on his shoulders. Draco was staring into her eyes, his steely gray orbs not as harsh as they usually were. He leaned closer, and Evelyn wondered if her heart was racing or if it had stopped altogether.

Draco kissed her. It was soft and sweet at first, but as they relaxed more, he got rougher and more demanding. Evelyn let herself get swept away, her cheeks a pleasant pink, as Draco pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together, and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

Eventually, they broke apart for air, panting softly. Draco was blushing darkly, his eyes flickering with conflicting emotions. "I..." He looked away, letting go of her. "I should go." Evelyn felt cold all of a sudden. "Alright." Her voice was weaker than she thought it would be. She watched Draco walk out of the courtyard and felt a rampage of emotions in her gut. She made her way back to the common room in a daze. An odd thought crossed her mind.

 _The twins would be furious if they knew._


	46. The Ceremony

Evelyn went home for the holidays. She had to, as the chosen Dracaena Protector. There was a ceremony she had to go through with the other Protectors which could only be done on the Winter Solstice. Evelyn left her uncle's werewolf tooth with Simon, and Jinx with Cole, setting out to the North Pole on a Swedish Short-snout, the breed of dragon best suited to the cold. She met with the Protector of clan Rafaela on the way, an elderly healer who had once been a warrior. Class change was rare and dangerous, but Evelyn supposed that in this case it was helpful.

They met with the other Protectors at the centre of the North Pole. The eight Hunters stood in a circle in silence, the cold not bothering them, with an empty spot where the Protector from clan Marlicia. It was dark, since it was the dead of winter, and the stars seemed to move above them. Then, as if on some unspoken command, they all said in unison, "Makivel," the word for Protector. The ground beneath then began to glow, with a golden line spreading from the circle to each of them. The line for Marlicia was dark.

Evelyn felt a power fill her, one that threatened to tear her apart at the seams, but she remained still, held there by some unknown force. One by one, the lines turned blue. Evelyn watched as each of them let out a scream of agony, then fell to the ground. The line came to her, and her back began to burn as if being branded. She screamed and fell to the ground, letting her back rest in the snow. After the final scream, she stood, trying not to tremble. This was how the Protectors got their special powers that they used to defeat whatever dark force had invaded the world.

One by one, the Hunters began to say titles in English, the titles that the gods had given to them. The others all listened eagerly, listening for the one to declare themselves as Protector, the leader of them all. The elderly Rafaela healer declared herself "Healer." That wasn't much of a surprise. Evelyn listened to each one, declaring things like "Savior," and "Spy." When Evelyn's own turn came, a word popped into her head, and she opened her mouth to let it out. "Defender." As soon as she said it, her stomach twisted, and the others gave her looks of sympathy. The Defender always was the one to sacrifice themselves to stop the dark powers. Evelyn lowered her gaze and listened to the others.

The Protector turned out to be a young Archer boy from clan Sapphira, no more than a year out of apprenticeship. Each of the others knelt. The poor boy looked terrified, but Evelyn flashed him a friendly smile. He smiled shyly back, and the circle went dark. The ceremony was over.

They began to talk, congratulating the boy. Evelyn was aware that they avoided bringing up her role, but she didn't mind in the slightest. She didn't want to talk about it. She approached the boy, smiling in what she hoped was a comforting way. "Congratulations." He smiled at her, "thank you. I'm Barnaby." "Evelyn." She shook his hand. "I will come to you when you call."

The boy asked, "the Defender's power is the wings of cinders, right?" Evelyn nodded, "yes. I suspect that I now have a pair of wings outlined into my back." The boy shivered, "that must have hurt. My arms were branded with the bone shield, but I'd imagine that didn't hurt as much." Evelyn ruffled his hair gently, which seemed to cheer him up. "It's over now. Good luck, Barnaby." Barnaby nodded and smiled brightly at her.

They headed back to their clans after that. Evelyn was reluctant to tell them her role, but she had to tell the Keeper. She had never seen Sera so close to crying. It worried her greatly.

Evelyn was glad for the distraction of the prospect of learning to apparate when she went back to school. However, the actual aparation turned out to be extremely difficult. Evelyn couldn't seem to get the hang of it at all. On top of that, they lost the Quidditch match since the temporary replacement for Ron was an awful team player.

One evening, Evelyn laid on her bed, petting Jinx, when Ginny burst into the room. Evelyn looked up, but Ginny fell on her bed and screamed into a pillow. "Another argument with Dean?" Ginny nodded. Evelyn got up and patted her back, then laid back down. She shifted a bit, then felt a burning sensation on her back. She shot up, "oh no." She raced out of the room without another word.


	47. The Death

Evelyn raced out over the more, her back getting hotter and hotter as she ran. She could hear Barnaby's voice in her head, _the Defender has sensed something._ Evelyn could hear vague responses of the others, mainly along the lines of _let us know what it is_. Evelyn nodded to herself and ran into the forbidden forest, towards whatever was pulling her in. By the time she felt like she was on fire, she stumbled across Luna Lovegood in the middle of the forest. "Oh, Evelyn," the strange girl turned to her with a small black orb in her hands. "Look what I've found."

Evelyn grabbed the orb and threw it as hard as she could. She then pulled Luna into her arms and felt something large and heavy on her back, wrapping around them as a fiery blast engulfed them. As quickly as it had happened, it was over. The burning sensation in her back faded rapidly until it was all but gone.

Evelyn released Luna, turning to look over her shoulder. Large black wings that glowed with embers, as if they had been on fire, were sprouting from her shoulder blades, ripping her robe. Beyond that, a large circle of the forest had been burned to nothing. Evelyn let out a sigh of relief.

"What was that?" Luna asked, seemingly undisturbed by the experience. Evelyn turned to her, "Luna, if you find one of those again, bring it straight to me, understand?" Luna nodded.

The wings disappeared and Evelyn took Luna back to Hogwarts. She went to the dorm and changed her robe. She stroked Jinx gently and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

Evelyn passed her aparation test, but just barely.

* * *

Evelyn was walking down the hall, minding her own business, when she heard a loud shout and the sound of a wall crumbling, coming from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Evelyn paused, wondering if she had really heard it. However, when she recognized two angry voices, one as Harry and one as Draco, she rushed into the bathroom in time to see Harry send a powerful curse at Draco, causing the latter to be slashed and bleed profusely.

"Caravel!" Evelyn commanded, and the two dropped their wands immediately. She stood between them, taking note that Malfoy had been crying. The hex that had hit the wall instead of Harry had come from Draco. "Calm down, you two, and pull yourselves together." Snape entered at that moment, looking over the scene. "Dracaena, take Malfoy to the infirmary immediately. Potter, bring me all of your spell books."

Evelyn helped Draco to his feet, slinging his arm over her shoulder and her arm around him, helping him walk down the hall to the infirmary. The walk was silent, except for Draco's occasional sniff. Evelyn made sure to take a path that had no one on it, for Draco's sake. She pushed open the infirmary door and turned him over to Madam Pomfrey. She watched Madam Pomfrey take care of his wounds from a distance. Once Pomfrey was finished, Evelyn asked, "what happened?" Draco looked away. "A fight. Couldn't you tell?" Evelyn crossed her arms. "Malfoy, if I'm going to keep my promise to your mother and to Mrs. Weasley, I need you to cooperate." Draco looked confused, "Mrs. Weasley?" Evelyn explained, "I told her that I would protect Harry Potter to the best of my abilities. Even with the change of circumstance, I intend to keep that promise, even if not directly."

Draco scowled, "and what promise did you make to my mother?" Evelyn answered blankly, "that I would defend you with my life, now tell me what happened." Draco sighed. "Potter startled me in the bathroom and I tried to hex him. He cast some dark magic curse on me." Evelyn sat on the edge of his bed. "Why were you crying?" Draco remained silent at this.

Evelyn held his hand. "It's going to be alright." Draco hadn't told her exactly what his mission was, but she knew it was hard for him. These small words seemed to comfort Draco greatly, and he nodded. Evelyn stood and let go. "I should be getting back. You rest up, I expect to see you back to your usual arrogant self by morning." Draco smiled a bit and nodded.

Evelyn walked down the hall, letting out a long, depressed sigh. She bumped into Ernie, who offered her a small piece of chocolate. She took it gladly, thanking him profusely, before continuing on her way.

* * *

Harry wasn't at the last Quidditch game, so Evelyn played seeker for him. Thanks to her and Ron, Gryffindor won the game. The party was a fun one, though Evelyn stuck to the sides of the overflowing common room.

* * *

Evelyn was a bit cranky as she walked down a hall with Draco in the middle of the night. "Will you tell me what exactly we're doing?" Draco said coldly, "whatever I say, now quit asking questions." Evelyn rolled her eyes and continued walking. They burst into a room and found Dumbledore there, looking awfully sick. Evelyn started to run to him, but Draco shouted, "stop, Evelyn!" Evelyn had no other choice. "Malfoy, what are we doing here? What's going on?"

Draco refused to look at her. He held his wand up to Dumbledore. The Headmaster pleaded with Draco to stop this, to come back to the right side. He did not look at Evelyn, either. Evelyn realized what was going on. "You're not going to kill Dumbledore, are you?" Draco didn't answer, and Dumbledore finally turned to her. "Dracaena, you know what you must do." Just then, other Death Eaters burst in.

Snape followed soon after, and he was the one who killed Dumbledore. Evelyn watched in horror as Dumbledore was blasted away with the killing curse, through a window. Once he was out of sight, Evelyn turned on Snape. "HOW DARE YOU!" Her hand went to the knife on her thigh, but Draco made her stop. "Evelyn, we need to fight off the Order now." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the stairs with the others.

Evelyn was shocked to find the Order of the Phoenix fighting with the Death Eaters. Even Neville was fighting. Evelyn stood frozen, torn between her oath and those she thought of as a second family. Draco broke her stalemate, "Evelyn, kill them!" Evelyn felt her limbs move on her own, and she struggled not to cry. "No! Don't make me!" She struggled against the power over her, raising her blades over Neville. "Run!" She shouted desperately at him.

Draco let her run with the other Death Eaters instead of killing the Order. She stopped after they set Hagrid's hut aflame. Draco grabbed her arm, "you can't go back, Evelyn. Not yet." Evelyn jerked away from him, tears streaming, "don't touch me!" The hurt in Draco's eyes didn't match the anger on his face. "Now!" Evelyn was forced to obey.

Her heart was broken, and that was only the first step to her destruction.


	48. The Task

Evelyn stood at the edge of the meeting room with a stone look on her face. This was the meeting of the Death Eaters, with Voldemort at the head, and an unconscious body on the table. She listened to the conversation, about how they planned on taking the Ministry of Magic, and attacking the Order of the Phoenix before they moved Harry again, about how Voldemort was going to kill Harry himself, and how he would need a wand to do it. He took Lucius Malfoy's, signifying that the Malfoys had fallen from his good graces. He took a moment to make fun of the Malfoys, though they all kept neutral faces. Evelyn looked at the ground.

"There is also the matter of Miss Dracaena, formerly in the Malfoy's employ," the Dark Lord beckoned her forward. She had no choice. She stood beside him, watching helplessly as Nagini hissed at her and moved closer. She gulped and maintained a stone face.

"You will befriend Harry Potter and get close to him, and wait for my orders." Evelyn spoke up, "that's impossible! They saw me, they know, none of them will trust me!" She didn't want to be the reason that Harry was harmed.

She was flung against the wall by some unknown curse. "I don't remember giving you permission to speak," the Dark Lord watched her with cold eyes. Bellatrix laughed wickedly. Evelyn forced herself to her feet and spat, "I don't remember asking your permission." She was hit with another curse, grunting as she forced herself to remain standing.

"You will find a way. I give you permission to tell what happened to you to make you one of us. You will not tell them of this plan. You'll tell them that you've escaped and will help them however you can." Evelyn lowered her gaze. She had no choice.

Evelyn watched as they killed the former Muggle Studies teacher. She wished she was dead.


	49. The Flight

Evelyn found herself standing in a storm outside of the Burrow in the dark, wishing that she could just run and never look back. She had already sent a letter to her clan that she would be occupied for a while, but she was still doing her job as a Protector. She could see the lights on in the windows, and wondered what they would think of her now. Surely they had found out about her betrayal, and it was certain that they didn't know it was forced. How could they?

Evelyn gathered her courage and knocked. There was a long moment of waiting. Evelyn felt like she was suffocating. To her luck, Percy Weasley was the one who opened the door. As soon as he saw her, he slammed it closed. Evelyn could hear the questioning voice of Mrs. Weasley, and the door opened again. Evelyn stared at Mrs. Weasley for a long moment, then was surprised when Mrs. Weasley pulled her into a warm hug. "Evelyn, dear, you look like a drowned rat."

As Mrs. Weasley put her in a chair in the kitchen and made her something warm to eat, Evelyn could hear shouting in the other room. It was an argument between Percy Weasley and Fred. Percy shouted, "you know what she's done! She's a traitor, she's been sent to kill us!" Fred shouted back, "you heard Harry's story! She was forced to do it!" Evelyn wondered what that meant. Harry was there? What did he say about her?

George entered the kitchen with a towel and draped it over her shoulders. "Hey Eve." She couldn't bring herself to answer. He dried her hair and said, "Harry told us that Malfoy had you under a curse. Is it true?" Evelyn nodded, biting her lip. She hated the lie that came out of her mouth, but she had no choice. "I escaped. I want to keep my promise to your mother, I want to protect Harry."

Mrs. Weasley came back and fed Evelyn. "You'll do just that, dear. We thought that you might come back to us after... After Dumbledore." Evelyn felt guilt clawing at her like a mad dragon, but there was nothing she could do. She ate, but only a little.

Fred stormed into the kitchen. "Can you believe him? After all you've done for us, Harry especially, he thinks that you'd willingly join you-know-who!" Fred ruffled her hair a bit roughly, still fuming. George laughed, "easy Fred, you'll make her bald." Evelyn couldn't bring herself to smile.

* * *

Evelyn found herself at the Dursley's house as one of the Order guards. The plan was to use polyjuice potion to make a bunch of Harrys so that they could get back to the Burrow without the Death Eaters catching Harry. Evelyn had her broom, and Hermione (disguised as Harry) got on the back. They took off, heading back to the Burrow.

"I heard what happened. How did you escape?" Hermione asked as they flew. Evelyn ket her gaze ahead, "don't ask. I'd rather not talk about it." The rest of the ride was silent, and they landed safely. They were the last to arrive, since they were the ones who didn't use a portkey.

"Evelyn!" Fred scooped her into a hug. "George, he lost his ear!" Evelyn rushed into the living room, where George laid on the couch with a bandage around his head. He grinned a bit, "Eve, there you are." Several people left to recover Mad-Eye Moody's body.

Evelyn knelt beside George, feeling relieved. "I'm glad you weren't killed. You said Snape did this to you?" George ruffled her hair weakly. "don't worry about it, you've got enough on your plate." He then grinned a bit more. "Kiss it better?" Evelyn rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself, and kissed George's forehead.

Evelyn then went to watch Harry Potter, since he had gone off alone. She watched from a distance, knowing that his scar was hurting him.

* * *

Evelyn was somber over the next week, even though she was happy to help with the wedding preparations. Fred and George did their best to keep her distracted, but she couldn't help but to think that everything was going to go wrong because of her. Of course, she couldn't tell them why. She also helped Ron, Hermione, and Harry with planning to run away to hunt down Horcruxes. It was clearly a stressful time, but the most stressful part was that her back had been burning more and more. SHe wondered exactly what kind of danger she had put the others in.


	50. The Ministry

The Death Eaters were coming, the Ministry of Magic had fallen, and Evelyn was getting very tired of being a wizard. She pulled Hermione off to the side, "get Ron and Harry out of here, now." Hermione nodded and the three apparated away. Evelyn turned back and helped to defend the Weasleys and their guests. There were so many Weasleys. Just then, Evelyn saw something black in the sky, but it had nothing to do with the Death Eaters. Her back burned and her eyes narrowed. _Barnaby,_ she called out to the Protector mentally. _Something's up._ Barnaby took a moment to reply. _Fix it._ Evelyn rolled her eyes and stood under the black thing falling from the sky.

She heard Lucius Malfoy call out to her, "Evelyn!" She ignored him, the curse on her having no effect at the moment. Her wings burst from her back and she flew up, going after the black ball. She caught it, it was much larger than the last, and flew away rapidly from the scene. She hurled it back towards the sky. When it exploded, the force knocked her out of the air back to the ground. Her wings disappeared, but the grass beneath her was burned with their shape.

Lucius stood over her. "The Dark Lord requests your presence." Evelyn groaned and sat up. The Death Eaters were being driven off. Lucius grabbed the back of her robe and apparated them both to a dark chamber. Draco was standing beside a throne. The light was behind it, so she couldn't see, but she knew that Lord Voldemort likely sat in it. Narcissa was sitting on a bench to the side, clearly not part of the picture.

The Dark Lord did not sound happy when he spoke. "You disobeyed a direct order, Dracaena." Evelyn kept her face stern. "Your magic doesn't have effect on me when the darkness interferes. I apologize, but my duty as a Hunter will always come first." She could see some light glinting off of his head as he nodded. "This... darkness... can it-" She cut him off. "No. It is not magic, and it is not controllable. Put that thought out of your mind." She could hear his sneer, "I don't like your tone." Evelyn remained silent.

"The burning wings," Lucius dared to speak up. "Such a power would be very useful." Evelyn shook her head, "no, I won't-" She gasped as she was flung into a wall by a curse. "You will not tell me what you will and will not do," Voldemort was dangerously calm. Evelyn sat up, coughing a bit and holding her ribs. "Makivel tesseractan. The Protector's power does not belong to you."

"Very well, I understand." Evelyn was a bit surprised. "Why the surprise?" Evelyn pulled herself to her feet. "You do not question the Hunter's ways. Most wizards do not have that insight." Voldemort stood, a terrifying silhouette. "Even I know not to push something I do not entirely understand. I must conquer the wizarding world before looking at yours." Evelyn frowned.

There was a desperate cry from outside the chamber, and the door swung open. Two Death Eaters dragged a third in, the third was wailing and begging forgiveness. Voldemort spoke again, "Dracaena, stand here by me." He settled down into his chair. Evelyn went and stood opposite to Draco, who looked unusually pale. Voldemort turned his attention to the Death Eater that had been unceremoniously dumped onto the floor in front of him.

"Draco," Voldemort spoke with a wicked smile. "This woman must be punished for failing to catch Harry Potter." Evelyn sighed a bit in relief, Harry had escaped. Voldemort glanced at her, "your punishment for letting him go will be next." She politely defended herself, "you told me to befriend him. By helping him escape, he will welcome me back. I couldn't have taken them and the Weasleys all at once." It was only half true, but it made sense. The Dark Lord turned back to the whimpering woman on the ground. "Draco, punish her."

Draco looked like he would like to puke as the woman screamed in agony at his hand. Evelyn closed her eyes.

Finally, Voldemort allowed Draco to kill the Death Eater. As her body was dragged away, Voldemort's attention turned back to Evelyn. She kept her gaze even under the scrutiny of his stare. "Dracaena, failure will not be tolerated. I expect you to find Potter as soon as possible, and stay with him until you receive further orders. Draco," he looked at the trembling boy. "You will go back to Hogwarts and make sure no one is rebelling. Only pure-bloods are allowed now." Evelyn snorted, then quickly covered her mouth. Lucius scowled, "is something funny, Dracaena?" Evelyn nodded, smirking with amusement. "In that case, I can't go back to Hogwarts. Technically, I'm not a pure-blood."

Draco kept a neutral face, but his eyes were alight with amusement at the small moment of defiance amidst the gloom.

"As always, someone of your standing is an exception, Dracaena," Voldemort began, "but you wont be going anyway until you receive orders to do so. I don't suspect that Potter will attempt to return to Hogwarts."

* * *

Evelyn found herself standing outside the Ministry of Magic, watching Hermione, Ron, and Harry take polyjuice potions. Evelyn drank on herself, wrinkling her nose at the taste. She had found them only a few minutes before and had joined in on their plan to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic. When they went in, they had to separate from Ron, because he had to go clean up a rainstorm in someone's office.

Hermione was also dragged of for some anti-muggle hearing, and Evelyn went with Harry to Dolores Umbridge's office. Apparently they were searching for some locket that was one of Voldemort's horcruxes. Evelyn was happy to tell Mad-eye Moody's eye to go blind so they could get into her office without being discovered.

The locket wasn't there, but Harry found some other interesting things.

After a long elevator ride and a cramped moment of both of them being stuck under the invisibility cloak, they found themselves behind disguised Hermione at one of the anti-muggle hearings. Harry burst out from under the cloak and they got the prisoners out amidst the chaos. It was quite the moment. Then Hermione grabbed Evelyn's hand, and they apparated out to a forest somewhere.

Evelyn stood guard that night, though there were plenty of hexes protecting them, and sharpened her knife. She had dropped her robe for her dragon armor, figuring that she was better off without it if they were attacked. She ran her fingers through her wild hair, which needed brushing. "What have I gotten myself into now?"


End file.
